Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender,
by TVTime
Summary: This is my Jyder Week mini-series. Full title is "Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love," which reflects my take on the seven daily themes. The story has a liner progression all set within a single story universe, not separate stories. Please join Ryder and Jake on this zany adventure as their bromance shifts into a full on romance.
1. Chapter 1: Literally

**Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love**

**A/N: Hi everyone! It's Jyder week! For those who weren't previously aware of it, basically every day this week (Monday, June 24th – Sunday, June 30th) there will be a different daily theme. Fans of the Jake/Ryder friend or romantic 'ship' are encouraged to create content of some kind to reflect the daily theme. I'm hoping a lot of people end up taking part in this and I'm very excited to see what everyone comes up with.**

**Anyway, for my part I decided to create a little mini-series. It's actually going to have a linear progression with all the chapters set in chronological order within the same story universe. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Jyder Week Theme: Family**

**Chapter 1 – Literally**

"Dad, I need to tell you something," Ryder said, setting down his fork and glancing at his father across the dining room table. He hadn't actually eaten anything yet, just rearranged the food on his plate.

Jake clinked his own fork lightly against his plate, drawing Ryder's attention and giving him an encouraging smile. He could tell how nervous Ryder was about the revelation he was about to make. When Ryder had told him what he intended to do and asked Jake if he could come over for dinner to make things less awkward, Jake had gladly accepted the invitation, secretly pleased that Ryder had come to him for support.

"Well then you should certainly tell me, son," Dr. Keith Lynn answered. He didn't completely understand the social convention of people announcing the fact that they were about to make a statement or pose a question prior to actually doing so, but he pretended to find the preliminary information useful and took the opportunity to set his wineglass down and direct his full attention to Ryder.

"This is kinda difficult to say," Ryder answered, swallowing hard.

"If you mispronounce something I'll correct you," Keith responded with a helpful smile.

"I think he means more in a 'not pleasant to talk about' sense," Jake explained. Ordinarily when he visited the household, Jake found Dr. Lynn's literal-minded tendencies amusing. This time, however, he was annoyed on Ryder's behalf that the man was unintentionally making things more difficult.

"Ah, well if it's unpleasant perhaps we shouldn't discuss it over dinner. It's a very common biological response for one's appetite to become suppressed as a result of stress or anxiety; although, I'm usually immune to such things."

"Dad, I can't eat," Ryder said, inclining his head toward his uneaten meal.

"There you see. I was right," Keith remarked nodding to himself in vindication.

"Since Ryder already isn't eating, and you just said it wouldn't bother you, why don't you let him go ahead and discuss it," Jake suggested, earning himself a grateful look from Ryder.

"That's a very logical argument, Jacob," Keith praised before considering things further. "However, mightn't it adversely affect your own appetite?"

"I think I'll be okay," Jake answered.

"Very well then. Please continue with your unsavory topic, Ryder." Keith wondered if either of the teenagers would appreciate his witticism. They didn't seem to.

"Do you remember when I was eleven?"

"Oh yes, of course. I have an excellent memory, and it was only a few years ago. Naturally due to your relatively young age, your perception of time is biased toward that seeming like much longer ago. I, however, still have a very vivid and full recollection of the time period."

"Do you remember Stacy?"

"I believe I knew three Stacys that year. You mustn't be talking about my lab assistant because you've never met her. Do you mean Stacy your former babysitter or Stacy who used to work at the bank?"

"Stacy the babysitter."

Keith nodded. "Yes, I just demonstrated that I recall her. How is she pertinent to tonight's discussion?"

"Uh...well she. One time she..." Ryder trailed off. His heart was pounding and his hands were cold and sweaty. This was harder than he'd expected.

"Jacob, you're nearer in proximity. Would you oblige me by rubbing my son's back in a consoling fashion please? It may help lower his cortisol levels and enable him to complete the articulation of his information."

Jake frowned at the man, annoyed by his behavior, as he reached over and patted Ryder's back, then began rubbing soothing circles into it.

"Try using the phrase 'there there.' Even though it's essentially meaningless, many people seem to find it very comforting."

Jake rolled his eyes and ignored the man. "Bro, do you want me to tell him for you?"

Ryder shook his head, embarrassed that he was being so weak in front of his friend, and also mortified about the way his father was behaving. He himself expected this kind of thing and he was trying not to take it personally, but he knew that to Jake it must seem like his dad was a robot. He unconsciously leaned farther back against Jake's touch and reminded himself that Jake not only knew his secret, but also knew what his dad was like. He could trust Jake.

"Thanks dude, but I need to do this," Ryder said. He took a deep breath and returned his gaze to his father. "Dad, when I was eleven Stacy molested me. I was in the shower and she just walked and started...touching me."

Keith nodded and took a sip from his wineglass. "Yes, I knew that."

Ryder and Jake both stared at Ryder's father, their mouths partially open in surprise.

"You knew?" Ryder asked, his brow furrowed and his hands clenched.

"Yes, she was arrested last year for doing the same thing to another boy. She confessed to her crime against you when she gave her statement to the police. They called and notified me." Keith glanced awkwardly at his son, unsure of what to say. "I was very displeased when I found out."

"You-you didn't talk to me about it."

"I thought you had repressed the experience. You weren't displaying any of the signs and symptoms of someone who had been molested. A preponderance of recent research has indicated that repression can often have a positive, protective effect on one's psyche. Thus, I decided it was better not to bring it up."

Anger flashed in Ryder's dark eyes and he abruptly stood up from the table, knocking his chair over in the process.

"Ryder, wait!" Jake said as he tried unsuccessfully to grab his arm. Before he could do so, Ryder jerked it away and ran out of the room. A few seconds later Jake heard him running up the stairs and then his door slammed.

Jake turned and glared at Dr. Lynn. "What is wrong with you?"

"Hmm, well I'm severely myopic and I suffer from occasional constipation," Keith responded.

Blind and full of shit – that sounded about right to Jake.

"Are you gonna go after Ryder?" Jake demanded raising his hands and shrugging incredulously.

"No," Keith answered simply, picking up his fork and returning to his meal.

"Dontcha think you should?" Jake prompted in the same slow, patronizing voice he normally reserved for small children.

"No, I've learned through empirical observation that when Ryder abruptly departs like that in distress, if I follow him and attempt to re-engage him in discourse he invariably becomes hostile and shouts irrational invective at me."

"Maybe that's because you're such a dumbass," Jake answered.

"Ah, now I know that when Ryder is in a state of distress his close friends may also behave in an angry, irrational way. I would need to make further observations to determine if this constitutes a pattern of behavior or if it is merely a fluke, but my hypothesis is that there is indeed a correlation."

"Dude, you're talking about hypothesises and correlations, and your son just friggin told you he was molested! You seriously need to reign in the science lecture and go check on him."

"The correct plural of 'hypothesis' is 'hypotheses,' and this is by no means a lecture, Jacob. For one thing we're freely exchanging ideas and opinions rather than one of us unilaterally imparting information upon the other. Granted, my information has more applicable value than yours, but nevertheless–"

"Do you not care that Ryder is hurting right now?"

"Yes, of course I care. Ryder is my son, and just as most parents hold a deep, enduring affection for their offspring, so too do I. In fact, I'm experiencing significant emotional upheaval even as we speak, and I very much wish there were something I could do to alleviate his suffering. I'm merely being realistic about the fact that I am powerless. The past is the past and cannot be altered."

"You could let him know you're there for him," Jake said.

Keith's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "But I'm not there. I'm here."

"You need to tell him that what happened to him wasn't his fault, that there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"My son isn't stupid. I'm sure he realizes that he has no culpability in the sexually deviant behavior of his babysitter. In the unlikely scenario that he doesn't understand this, I doubt my opinion would give him any particular clarity."

Jake gritted his teeth and glared at the man. "Do you know how much he looks up to you?"

"Not precisely. Most male adolescents aren't apt to express unguarded statements of admiration toward their fathers. However, I presume that I continue to wield a considerable influence in his life."

"He basically idolizes you for some ridiculous reason. He was terrified that you would be disappointed about his dyslexia. Don't you think he's going to be worried that you'll think less of him for this too?"

"Ah yes, I was indeed very disappointed about his dyslexia," Keith said wistfully, "But this has no bearing on that. It wasn't as though Stacy the babysitter came with a written warning label sewn onto the front of her sweater proclaiming her intent to molest. Besides, even if she had, I could have simply read it myself and averted the situation."

"Wait, so you were disappointed about his dyslexia?" Jake demanded, angry and surprised by this newest revelation.

"Yes, of course. I'm an academic, Jacob. Naturally I'm going to be disappointed that my son has a learning disability. It's comparable to how if I were a professional athlete I would undoubtedly be dismayed if he had poor hand-eye coordination."

Jake continued to glower at him, so Keith decided to clarify his position. "However, it certainly doesn't changes my feelings for him. I'm disappointed, but it in no way weakens our parent-child bond. Neither does this. Regardless of who touches his genitals I'm going to love him just the same."

"Okay, well _I'm_ actually going to go let him know _verbally_ that I give a crap about him."

"That's a wonderful idea, Jacob! It's very good for his psychosocial development to feel a sense of connectedness with his peers.

"You're a giant douchebag," Jake declared as he walked away from the table.

Dr. Lynn called after him. "I assure you, Jacob, I would be thoroughly ineffectual if used as a device for feminine hygiene. In fact even when I was still married to Ryder's mother I was never involved in the cleansing irrigation of her vagina."

**-000-**

Ryder was lying on his bed fighting the urge to cry as mental images replayed themselves on a loop in his head. Between telling his secret to Katie, then the glee club, and now his dad, Ryder had thought more about the molestation in the past week than he had in the entire year proceeding this string of revelations. Now, every time he closed his eyes he flashed back to that hot shower, the predatory look on Stacy's face, the feeling of insistent fingers on his skin, the relentless swirl of shame, fear, confusion, and betrayal.

"Ryder, can I come in?" Jake called through the door as he knocked softly.

Ryder opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped himself, worried his voice would belie his efforts to appear calm. Instead he rolled off the bed and silently went to answer the door, briefly checking himself in the mirror over his dresser to confirm that there were no traces of tears. Satisfied, he opened the door, then turned away from Jake, sitting back down on his bed.

"You okay?" Jake asked as he shut the door behind him and then cautiously took a seat on the bed next to Ryder.

Ryder shrugged, still not trusting himself to make a verbal response.

"It took a lot of guts to tell him...I'm guessing he's not always the easiest guy to talk to."

"Not really," Ryder answered carefully, proud of how steady his response came out.

"Well, just so you know, anytime you want to talk about it, or hang out and not talk about it, I'm here." Jake gave Ryder's shoulder a squeeze and left his hand in place, hoping to get his friend to make eye contact. When Ryder finally did just that, Jake was alarmed by what he saw: Ryder's dark brown eyes were dim and tormented, his face a mask of anguish. He looked on the verge of a complete breakdown.

"C'mere," Jake said, opening his arms and gently patting Ryder's shoulder in encouragement.

Ryder resisted for a few seconds and then looked away as he slowly leaned forward and allowed himself to be enveloped by Jake's strong embrace. Ryder sighed deeply as he at last wrapped his own arms around Jake's back and relaxed. He still felt ashamed and self-conscious, but it was also an overwhelming relief to finally be getting actual support and comfort for what had happened to him.

"Did I just blow this whole thing way out of proportion?" Ryder asked, ignoring the thick emotion permeating his voice. He felt safe now; he knew Jake wouldn't tease him for it.

Jake pulled out of the hug so that he could make eye contact with Ryder, leaving his hands firmly in place on each of Ryder's biceps. "Of course you didn't," he assured him, giving his arms another small squeeze. "You were molested, dude. That is a big deal."

"But the other guys thought it was _cool_, and my dad...didn't even think it was worth reacting to and...I dunno, maybe I just freaked out over nothing."

Jake shook his head as he tried to think of the right thing to say. Eventually he settled on, "Sam and Artie have no concept of what it would really have been like. Sam was referencing movies for christsake. And your dad...doesn't really react to stuff like normal people."

"So you don't think I should have just fist pumped the air when it happened and gone with it?" Ryder asked for confirmation.

Jake snickered and shook his head. "Nah, sexual stuff should always be consensual. Like it would even be totally understandable if right now Kitty, or some other hot chick our age, walked in and started groping you and tryin' to make you do stuff and you freaked out. I mean, personally I'd probably go with it," Jake said with a smirk before continuing, "But you always have the right to say no, and if someone, anyone, doesn't respect that and back off, then it's not okay. The fact that you were only eleven and this girl was way older – that was seriously fucked up."

"Thanks man," Ryder said with a sincere smile as he spontaneously felt the urge to pull Jake in for another hug. After a moment's deliberation he decided to do just that. He still felt vulnerable, confused, and emotionally raw, but in an almost perverse way it felt good that someone was finally telling him it was okay to feel that way.

Jake left a few minutes later, once again reiterating that he was always available to talk, or not talk, as Ryder saw fit. Ryder found himself wishing that he had simply confided in Jake, and only Jake, to begin with. As he was still pondering the unexpected way everything had worked out, there was another knock on his now-open bedroom door.

"Ryder," Keith called from the doorway, a hint of anxiety playing across his studious features. "I would like to enter your room, take a seat, and than have a conversation with you about the subject we briefly discussed at dinner. Would you be amenable to this series of events?"

Ryder started to say no, fully aware that if he did his father would quietly leave without further discussion. However, Ryder's curiosity got the better of him, and he was still in a more open mood from his chat with Jake. "Sure, dad."

Keith walked in and seated himself in the chair by Ryder's desk. He took a moment to marshal his thoughts as Ryder waited patiently. He was grateful that his son always seemed to understand his need to mentally review things before he began an important discussion. He couldn't recall having ever outright articulated this need to Ryder, so he wasn't sure how Ryder had even come to know it.

"Son, I assume that you are already cognizant of the facts that I am about to enumerate. However, Jacob strongly advised me to nevertheless state them in no uncertain terms, and though I think it unnecessary, I'm more than willing to err on the side of possible redundancy if it may bear the potential to make you feel better." Keith inwardly congratulated himself for remembering to consider, let alone verbalize, concerns about emotions.

"Ryder, the unconscionable actions of your babysitter were in no way your fault and you should not hold yourself accountable for them, not even to a small degree. You should not feel ashamed of yourself, for you did nothing shameful. No amount of reprehensible acts committed on, or even by, you would ever alter my affection for you. You are my son and I am very proud of you and I love you very much. I would also like to express my deepest regret for not protecting you from Stacy the babysitter in the first place. I'm sorry that I failed you in that regard."

Ryder felt himself choking up as he stood and wrapped his arms around his father, pulling the man to his feet as he hugged him.

"Thanks dad," Ryder whispered.

"There, there," Keith said woodenly as he held Ryder close and rubbed his back. He wasn't sure about Ryder, but he felt his own cortisol levels dropping.

**-000-**

**End Note: Please let me know what you thought of this first installment if you get the chance! This first chapter of course kept things in the 'friendship only' zone for the boys, but tomorrow's theme is "Firsts" and as you might expect, that means things are going to heat up a bit for them romantically.**

**To give you guys a little insight into what to expect for the rest of the week, the second and third chapters are already completely finished and will be posting on time. I'm working on the fourth chapter now and I think there's a good chance it will be ready in time for the fourth day. There's some chance the fifth chapter will also be ready in time for the fifth day. Realistically, however, there's little to no chance the sixth and seventh chapters will post on time. I'll get them out as quickly as I can though, and I'll definitely be writing a full seven chapter reflecting each of the themes.**

**If anyone is wondering about my on-going Niff story, it's on a small hiatus while I take part in Jyder week. Sorry for the delay on that, but I really like the Jyder ship and didn't want to miss the opportunity to participate. I promise to return all my writing attention to it as soon as I'm done with the last Jyder week chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2: The First

**Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love**

**A/N: Hi all, here's chapter 2. It's a couple of hours early by my time, but I wanted to try to get to bed early and I didn't think you all would mind. This one is very much rated M for sexual content. If you don't want to read that then I recommend just stopping when it's obvious that it's gotten to that point. You can probably pick up the rest of the plot details in chapter 3.**

**Jyder Week Theme: Firsts**

**Chapter 2 – The First**

Marley sighed and rolled her eyes as she watched Jake swipe Ryder's beer off the coffee table and chug half of it in one gulp, earning himself a shove from Ryder as the other boy yanked his beverage back. Jake retaliated of course, pushing Ryder and trying to reacquire the bottle. At least they had the foresight to _jointly_ set the drink back on the coffee table before their shoving escalated into an all out wrestling match on the couch. Unique glared at them as she scrambled out of her seat on the end of the sofa, just in time to avoid winding up with Jake's head in her lap.

"Those two need to just get a room already," Kitty remarked as she poured something from a small flask into Marley's plastic cup. "They can even use one of the guest rooms upstairs if it'll spare my sofa from the kinds of bodily fluids that are normally only found on mattresses in rent-by-the-hour motel rooms. At least that way I could just have the room cordoned off instead of having to deal with a Santorum biohazard right here in my living room."

It was senior year, and Kitty was hosting an unsupervised Christmas party at her house. Marley was grateful that the holiday gathering was more of a semi-small get-together rather than a gigantic ruckus rave. The only people in attendance were the glee club and the Cheerios squad, along with both groups' respective significant others.

"What did you put in this?" Marley asked, glancing away from the now-giggling boys – their wrestling match had devolved into a tickle fight – and raising her glass questioningly.

"Laxatives," Kitty answered with a smirk.

Marley scowled at her. "That's not funny. After what happened sophomore year I–"

"Oh relax, Upchuck Barbie. I'm kidding. It was just vodka."

Marley frowned but took a tentative sip. It tasted alright, if a little harsh on the way down.

"So, are you in for helping our exes finally pop the lid on that homoerotic pressure cooker before we all end up drenched in their bromantic juices?" Kitty inquired, a devilish gleam in her eye.

"What do you mean?" Marley asked.

"Cum," Kitty answered crudely before taking a large swig from her heavily-spiked drink.

Marley's cheeks heated with a blush. "I meant how do we help them express their feelings?"

Kitty smiled, a plan solidifying in her head. She uncapped the flask and added more vodka to Marley's drink. The other girl started to protest but she cut her off.

"Just drink up and leave the rest to me."

An hour and several drinks later, Ryder, Jake, and Marley found themselves upstairs in Kitty's bedroom as the blond cheerleader once again distributed a fresh round of cocktails. Ryder had wanted to continue nursing beers all night – and okay maybe also sharing them with Jake – but Kitty had insisted that they switch to something harder.

"Tell me again why we're up here like a bunch of anti-social losers instead of downstairs hanging with our friends?" Jake asked as he took a seat next to Ryder on the foot of Kitty's bed. Kitty and Marley sat across from them at the head of the bed.

"They're the losers. This is the VIP lounge," Kitty answered sweeping her hand expansively through the air. Ryder cocked a curious eyebrow as her arm settled around Marley's shoulders upon the termination of the gesture.

"What's so special about it?" Jake asked as he toed his shoes off and stretched out his legs on the bed, leaning against Ryder's side in the process.

"The entertainment," Kitty answered coyly.

"But the TV's not even on," Ryder remarked, glancing across the room at where Kitty's flat-screen was tastefully tucked away in an ornate armoire.

"Live entertainment," Kitty explained with a wink.

On cue Marley giggled shyly and turned her head to face Kitty. Ryder's and Jake's jaws dropped as the two girls abruptly began kissing. Kitty's manicured and painted fingers trailed languidly through Marley's long, dark tresses as the other girl moaned contentedly and draped one arm around Kitty's neck, her other hand clenching the bedspread in the small space between their laps

Jake's eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets as he elbowed Ryder in the side, drawing a delayed gasp from his friend. Several seconds later Ryder crossed his legs on the bed, hoping to conceal his rapidly growing arousal. Jake snickered but followed suit, their knees brushing together.

"Still want to go back downstairs?" Kitty asked a little while later as she pulled away from the lip-lock with Marley. Both boys shook their heads vehemently. "Didn't think so."

"So uh that was...yeah," Ryder said, nodding and still wide eyed.

"Entertainment," Marley supplied, her voice still just a touch breathy.

"Entertainment!" Ryder and Jake agreed in unison, grinning at each other.

"Now it's your turn," Kitty said.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"It's your turn," Marley repeated casually with a nod as she gave them expectant looks.

"Like, me and you?" Jake asked. "Or me and Kitty?"

"You and Ryder," Marley corrected.

"Uhh, straight guys don't do that," Ryder remarked, tensing up and edging far enough away from Jake that their legs were no longer in contact.

"Sam made out with Blaine," Marley pointed out, referencing the now almost legendary incident that had occurred nearly two years ago at Nationals.

Neither Blaine nor Sam had shown up for the final rehearsal before competition. Since they also weren't answering their phones, Marley, Jake, and Unique had decided to go looking for them. The young trio ended up finding quite a bit more than they had anticipated when they walked into the room and discovered the seniors lying together on a bed, naked and lost in each others arms and mouths. By the end of the trip the entire glee club, plus half the school back in Lima, had found out just what strategy Sam and Blaine preferred using to relieve stress before a big performance.

"That doesn't count though. They were Blam," Ryder protested.

"Well you're Jyder," Marley countered.

"That's ridiculous. There's no such thing as Jyder," Jake insisted.

"Okay fine. I guess if you boys want to get kicked out of the VIP lounge..." Kitty said innocently.

"But if we go along with this you'll uh...give us more entertainment?" Ryder asked. Kitty and Marley both nodded.

"You're not considering this?" Jake asked incredulously, turning to face Ryder on the bed.

Ryder shrugged. "It's not that big a deal."

Ryder almost couldn't believe the words that had just tumbled out of his mouth. Of course it was a big deal. Guys didn't just go around making out with other guys, even their friends, even their best friends, even their best friends with soulful brown eyes and full, sensuous lips.

Ryder furrowed his brow, confused by his strange train of thought. He eyed the drink he had set on Kitty's bedside table suspiciously. How many did that make again?

"Exactly," Kitty agreed, brushing against Marley as she reached past her and retrieved her own beverage from the table. "It's not a big deal. Just some fun between friends." She took a sip and winked at Marley before turning back to the boys. "Now entertain us."

"There is no way..." Jake's words trailed off as Ryder's hand was suddenly cupping the back of his head.

"Don't worry about his gigantic donkey teeth," Kitty interjected to Jake. "He won't bite you...unless you ask."

Kitty briefly became distracted with thoughts of her short-lived relationship with Ryder their junior year. However, she quickly pushed the thoughts aside, more eager to watch her two hot exes get their boy-on-boy groove on than to relive the past.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jake whispered, looking into Ryder's almost-black eyes. Dark as they were, they shimmered and glinted with anticipation, and Jake found himself utterly entranced. Finally, after more than two years of friendship with Ryder, he was able to stare into them for as long as he wanted. Jake almost protested when Ryder's eyelids fluttered shut, but then Ryder's lips were on his own and suddenly protesting didn't seem like such a necessary thing to do.

Ryder held the back of Jake's head with his left hand, as his right hand pressed against Jake's side. Their legs were still crossed, knees bumping together, and without stopping to consciously think about what he was doing, Ryder unfolded his legs. Then he turned, surrounding Jake on either side with his thighs and calves as he leaned in for better access to his friend's mouth.

Jake sighed in response and opened his mouth, finally giving in to the kiss completely as Ryder's tongue flicked his lips for the first time. Jake breathed out hard, his breath transmitted directly into Ryder's mouth and lungs. Instinct took over completely for Jake and the next thing he knew one of his hands was fisted into the back of Ryder's long – and remarkably soft – brown hair. Jake's other hand came up to cup the side of Ryder's face as he pivoted slightly, adjusting the angle of the kiss and taking the opportunity to invade Ryder's mouth with tongue. Their probing appendages were now melded together, side-by-side within their mouths, locked in a strong, slippery embrace.

It was already literally breathtaking, but Ryder felt a frenzied need to increase his contact with Jake. Without even considering what he was doing or where they were, he slid his hands over the tops of Jake's shoulders and toppled him over on the bed. Ryder chased Jake's mouth so eagerly that the kiss was barely broken during the repositioning and almost immediately Ryder was fully on top of Jake, using gravity very much to his advantage. Not that Jake seemed to mind. His legs had wrapped tightly around Ryder's hips and his hands were clenched urgently over Ryder's biceps.

"Ahem," Kitty said as she cleared her throat loudly. "Would you like Marley and I to leave and give you two more room?"

Startled, Ryder pulled his mouth away from Jake's and tilted his head up toward the sound of the disturbance. He flinched and gasped as he realized that his face was practically in Kitty's lap. In fact the proximity involuntarily brought back memories of the two of them naked and in almost exactly these same positions as Ryder's tongue performed a slightly different work out. Of course when that had happened, Marley hadn't been watching doe-eyed next to Kitty, and Jake certainly hadn't been pinned between the mattress and Ryder's body. He was pretty sure that if Jake had been present for that other encounter, Ryder would have remembered the unexpectedly-enticing sensation of throbbing steel pitted against his stomach

"We were just trying to be entertaining, right bro?" Jake answered, slightly out of breath as he finally lowered his thighs from Ryder's hips, taking with him the quivering rod that had started to become so fascinating to Ryder.

"Uh yeah, exactly," Ryder said, shaking his head to clear it of distracting thoughts. "We just wanted to be entertaining."

Ryder released Jake completely and scooted farther back on the bed. As he did so, he couldn't resist chancing a surreptitious glance at the hard bulge in the front of Jake's jeans while his friend was still lying on his back. This time when Ryder settled into his former seat he crossed his legs _and_ folded his hands in his lap, agonizingly self-conscious about his own eager erection.

Jake was well-aware of Ryder's condition and found himself more amused by it than anything else. He wanted to tease the other boy, but he forced himself to resist out of decency since Marley and Kitty were present. He himself was less embarrassed by his own arousal. The girls had wanted 'entertainment' and Ryder had initiated the kiss, so as Jake saw it, none of them had any room to criticize his body for responding. At least that's the way Jake's half-drunk brain decided to interpret the situation. He didn't bother making any concealment efforts as he reclaimed his position at the end of the bed next to Ryder, once again leaning into his side.

"As entertaining as this has been – and I was _very _entertained – I think it's time for bed. You've both been drinking so you're staying over. You can use the guest room down the hall. Share one room though in case other people have to stay too." Kitty smirked and winked at Marley again as she instructed them to share.

Kitty's family had a large house, and she was the youngest of three siblings. That meant that her older brother and older sister had already moved out, leaving their rooms plus the original guest room vacant. There was a decent chance that all three rooms would need to be occupied, depending on the condition of her other guests and what sort of transportation arrangements they had made. Mostly, however, Kitty just wanted to make sure that Jake and Ryder ended up in bed together.

The boys chose Kitty's older brother's room, both because it had a more masculine décor, and also because it had a private bathroom. Kitty's parents had stocked the cabinets with extra toothbrushes and other toiletries, enabling the boys to clean up normally before bed.

"I guess I'll sleep on the floor," Ryder said as he emerged from the bathroom, dressed in only his light blue boxer briefs, and discovered that Jake had already gotten into bed.

"Shut up and get over here," Jake answered, casting the covers back and shuffling over to make room for his friend. In the process he revealed the fact that he was also shirtless and in only a pair of red briefs.

Jake noticed the curious look Ryder was giving him as he stood there, making no move to comply with Jake's suggestion. Just as Ryder opened his mouth, no doubt to argue, Jake cut him off and continued. "It's December and we don't really have enough blankets for the bed and the floor."

"That makes sense," Ryder agreed with a nod, grateful for the excuse as he crossed the room and slid between the sheets, careful to stay as far on his side as he could. The last thing he needed after their unexpected make out session was to send the wrong signals by accidentally touching Jake while they were nearly naked.

Jake reached for the lamp which was located on his side of the bed. Just as he was about to flip the switch Ryder stopped him.

"Wait," Ryder said, his hand on Jake's bare shoulder. Both boys flinched away from the contact.

"What?" Jake asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"We could, uh talk."

"About what?"

"You know...what happened," Ryder said quietly.

"I don't think there's anything to talk about. We were drunk and just wanted to watch the girls get it on, and now that I think about it, they totally owe us more."

"Yeah they do," Ryder agreed, grinning and pleased that they had found a middle-ground topic they could discuss. He felt uncomfortable with the idea of discussing the kiss too, but he was worried they if they didn't talk at all things would get awkward between them. He decided to keep the focus on Kitty and Marley since that seemed to be going well. "Why do you think they did that to begin with anyway?"

"I dunno. A lot of girls are experimental. I bet they wanted to get us worked up too."

"It was really hot," Ryder said, lying back and resting his head against the pillow.

"Fuck yeah it was!" Jake said, also stretching out and staring up at the ceiling. "It was like the hottest thing I've seen in real life."

"What about them naked?" Ryder asked, his eyes glazing with lust as he pictured precisely that.

"I didn't get to see Marley naked," Jake reminded him wistfully. He had hooked up with Kitty on a few different occasions over the years, but he and Marley had broken up before things had gotten that far.

"Oh yeah you didn't," Ryder answered with dark glee. He enjoyed holding that over Jake since he himself had been the one to deflower their friend while they were dating the summer before senior year. "Well trust me, man. It's really something."

"Ass!" Jake declared, hitting Ryder in the arm just hard enough for it to hurt.

"Oh yeah, that ass!" Ryder enthused, an exaggerated leer on his face.

He anticipated Jake's second strike and caught his fist as it went for the still-throbbing spot on his bicep. He laughed in victory and his own fist shot out to take revenge on Jake's upper arm.

"Oww, crap, dude!" Jake yelled, real anger and pain in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it that hard," Ryder apologized, realizing he had gone overboard in his excitement.

"You're in for it now," Jake declared as he grabbed Ryder's wrist with his free hand while simultaneously trying to pull his other hand out of Ryder's grasp.

Hands on each other's wrists the two friends commenced a very familiar wrestling war, laughs and grunts soon filling the room. They were usually evenly matched, but this time thanks to his extra zeal to reclaim his honor Jake managed to roll on top of Ryder. Straddling Ryder's waist, Jake hunched over and succeeded in pinning Ryder's arms down against the mattress. However, Ryder kept attempting to free himself by sitting up and trying to pull his arms loose. Eager to maintain control, Jake turned his body sideways enough so that he could press his shoulder and upper arm against the center of Ryder's chest, practically lying down sideways against him in the process.

"Give up," Jake said between clenched teeth.

"Never!" Ryder declared, his hot breath gusting out over Jake's ear.

Jake shivered and turned his face to glare at Ryder. However, when he did their eyes met and Jake felt himself starting to get pulled in by the shining black crystals. Suddenly their position on the bed felt entirely too intimate. Jake became hyper aware of the fact that his bare thighs were pressed against the hot flesh of Ryder's toned obliques. That his thinly-covered packaged was hovering only an inch or two over Ryder's taut stomach. That's Ryder's own equipment was practically close enough to brush against Jake's ass.

Ryder was noticing things too. He was aware of how strong and solid Jake felt against his body, of how warm and almost comforting the weight felt. Then Ryder noticed the faint musk-spice of Jake's cologne, discovered that underlying it he could also just detect traces of Jake's natural scent. That was when Ryder realized for the first time that he even knew and could recognize Jake's scent. A moment too late he realized that not only could he recognize it, but that he also really _really_ liked it, and that his body was responding in an unfortunately physical way.

Even though Jake had almost been expecting to feel Ryder's cock against his ass, he still sucked in a surprised breath when it happened. Jake was still staring into Ryder's eyes and he saw the moment when the beautiful limpid wells suddenly transformed into troubled murky pools. Something about the fear and confusion present in Ryder's eyes bothered Jake, bothered him far more in fact than the now-full erection that was straining against ass.

"Jake, I'm..." Ryder trailed off terrified. He was grateful that Jake was perched on top of his chest lest his heart beat right out of his ribcage in panic.

"Horny," Jake finished for him as casually and non-judgmentally as he could. "S'cool."

"Really?" Ryder asked, unknowingly giving Jake his reward for the laid back attitude as his eyes cleared with relief and his face broke out into a wide grin.

Jake sighed softly, almost as relieved as Ryder that the tense situation had come and gone. Jake couldn't get over how fucking amazing Ryder looked with that smile. Then he realized to his momentary confusion that his dick was just as hard as the behemoth angling against his ass. Jake's erection had simply gone unnoticed because it wasn't quite touching Ryder, but now that Jake knew it was there, _oh god_ did Jake know that it was there.

Jake didn't even hesitate, just said a mental 'fuck it' and gave in to his hormones.

"It's really cool actually," Jake answered, lowering his crotch fully against Ryder's stomach so that the other teen could know what he meant. Jake simultaneously edged backward just enough to increase the friction between his ass and Ryder's cock.

"Ohhh," Ryder half-said, half-moaned. As soon as he mouth opened enough to utter the sound, Jake was attaching himself to it, instantly picking up where they had left off in Kitty's room.

Ryder realized that his hands were free now too, and he quickly put them to good use rubbing up and down Jake's nude back. This kiss was so much better than the one they'd shared before. This time their sculpted chests and hard stomachs were writhing against each other, naked flesh against naked flesh, delighting every one of Ryder's nerve endings and making him buck harder against Jake's ass.

Jake was working himself into a frenzy against Ryder's stomach. His cock was already leaking precum, and the longer he made out with Ryder the more seemed to ooze out. He knew Ryder had to be able to feel it and he would have worried about disgusting him, if the other guy hadn't been whimpering and moaning obscenely into his mouth, clearly anything but disgusted.

Jake steadfastly ignored all the rational thoughts and demanding questions swirling around in his head. He was determined to live in this moment as much he could. There would be time for thoughts and questions later; right now he just needed to get off. With herculean effort Jake forced himself to break away from the kiss so that he could pursue his goal more directly.

"Will you suck my dick?" Jake asked, bluntly and almost pleadingly as he re-established eye contact with Ryder.

"Yes," Ryder answered instantly. Then his jaw dropped slightly and his whole face contorted in confusion. He had no idea why he had so readily agreed to the request.

"Thank god!" Jake was answering, already balancing on first one knee, and then the other as he stripped his underwear off in record time. "Here, sit up some," Jake said as he hunched over and grabbed the other pillow, his erection already almost in Ryder's face as he did so. Then he helped Ryder prop himself up on both pillows so that his mouth was more directly in front of Jake's crotch than below it.

"I don't really know how to do this," Ryder said as he eyed his best friend's hefty equipment. A clear, spindle of precum was dripping down from Jake's glistening slit, dangling precariously over Ryder's upper chest. Ryder couldn't figure out if he was turned on or revolted. Part of him wanted to reach out a finger, collect the specimen, and dip it into his mouth. Another part just wanted to gag and demand that Jake wipe it away.

Ryder didn't get to do either as Jake edged forward on his knees and slapped Ryder lightly across the face with his erection. Ryder felt the fluid in question smear across his cheek and Jake snickered. Ryder wanted to get angry, but damned if he didn't also catch a pleasing whiff of Jake's pheromone-concentrated crotch and find that his own dick was twitching with desire instead.

"Really, Jake? You're gonna cockwhip me?" Ryder demanded, trying to sound angry to save face.

"Dude, you should see your eyes right now. You are _loving_ this and you know it," Jake answered, smacking Ryder gently across the other side of his face and leaving his cockhead in place against Ryder's cheek so that he tug his erection just enough to leave a matching sticky deposit on that side as well.

Ryder almost felt his pupils flare with lust this time, and okay – yes, he knew that Jake did have a point about him enjoying it. He reached into his boxer briefs and began rubbing and palming his own neglected equipment.

Ryder licked his lips and then tentatively flicked his tongue out and lapped at Jake's slit. It was more or less what Ryder had expected: salty and slightly sweet. He couldn't decide if he liked it or not, but now Jake was pressing his swollen cockhead against Ryder's lips, obviously eager to begin, and Ryder knew that in a little while he would have lots of opportunity to make up his mind about the taste.

"You ready?" Jake asked. Ryder nodded, so Jake slowly eased himself forward, breaching his friend's lips.

"Ohhh, yes. I _needed_ this," Jake moaned in a shaky voice as first his entire cockhead and then gradually more and more of his shaft lit up with hot, wet, tingling pleasure. "Thanks man. God, you're the best!" Jake sighed, gripping his chest with one hand and still holding the base of his cock with the other.

Ryder hummed against Jake's dick and tried to take more of it into his mouth. He didn't know if Jake actually meant he was the best cocksucker Jake had ever had, or if it was more of a general affirmation about what a good friend Ryder was. Either way Ryder found himself getting into it, and consciously trying to be the best. He swirled his tongue around Jake's glans and sucked hard, just the way that he himself liked it when he was on the receiving end of one of these.

Jake gasped in pleasured surprise and involuntarily thrust himself farther into Ryder's mouth, pleased when his friend didn't gag or fight the increased intrusion. "OH yeahhh! Work that tongue, Ryder! Work that tongue."

Ryder did just that, taking long slurping licks and hollowing out his cheeks as he sucked. On his up strokes his lips would occasionally slip off the tip of Jake's cock in his zeal, resulting in a satisfying pop that made Ryder's own dick twitch with pleasure, but then he would immediately gobble his way back down Jake's shaft, working over every inch with his tongue.

Jake continued moaning and gasping, amazed at how incredibly good and enthusiastic Ryder was at this. He was now burying his nose fully against the base of Jake's pelvis with every down stroke. The hand Jake had been using to hold his cock was now clutching desperately at the back of Ryder's head, hanging on for sanity as Ryder brought him to new heights of oral pleasure.

Jake was watching lustfully as Ryder bobbed up and down on his shaft, but then out of the corner of his eye he noticed the frenzied motion of Ryder's arm and realized that the other boy was going to town on himself as well.

"Whoa, whoa, man. Stop jerking off," Jake insisted and he leaned down to still Ryder's arm. The abrupt motion caused Ryder to lose his rhythm and Jake couldn't help the disappointed whimper that escaped his throat, but disappointed or not he needed to stop Ryder before he made himself cum. "I'm gonna blow you really good for as long as you want when I'm done."

Ryder removed his hand from his underwear and looked up at Jake questioningly, his mouth still full of cock.

Jake nodded intently. "I promise, dude. You can even cum in my mouth. Anything – you've already more than earned it and I haven't even gotten off yet."

Ryder sighed happily, delighted by the prospect, as he raised his hands to Jake's ass and squeezed, pulling him in as he concurrently sunk all the way down his shaft.

"Aaahhh!" Jake exclaimed as his cock pulsed hard and he briefly thought he might cum. He didn't, but Ryder didn't give him any chance to recover. Instead he redoubled his efforts, sucking hard and slurping enthusiastically as he kneaded Jake's ass and practically began fucking his own face with Jake's body.

"Oh my god! How did you– " Jake couldn't finish his sentence, just blinked as he started to see spots from the thundering tsunami of goodness. Wet wave after wet wave crashed over his body again and again. On the edge of his awareness he realized that 'wet' was the perfect adjective to describe what was happening. His whole crotch was drenched, Ryder's saliva dripping down messily over his balls.

"It's gonna happen! It's gonna happen!" Jake warned in strangled barks as he tried to pull away. As soon as he realized that Ryder was holding him in place, implicitly giving him permission, he let out a sharp cry and began erupting down Ryder's throat.

Jake cried out loudly as his whole body shook with spasm after spasm of pleasure. Soon he realized that he was being _too_ loud and that people next door could probably hear him. He clamped a hand over his mouth and tried to resist the urge to scream against it as he was wracked with more intensely good contractions and he felt himself firing another thick volley of seed into Ryder's waiting mouth. When it was finally over, Jake trembled and gasped as he came down from his high, occasional aftershocks still buffeting him.

"Damn that was good. I owe you like five blowjobs, dude," Jake said as he panted and collapsed on the bed on top of Ryder.

Ryder wiped some of the overflow of Jake's semen off his lips and chin with his hand. Without many other options – apart from using the bed as a cumrag, which just didn't seem okay – Ryder shrugged and licked the tart, salty substance off his palm and fingers. He was so heady with lust and frenetic sexual energy at this point that it didn't even strike him as gross. If anything it only turned him on more.

"I'd settle for one really good one,"

"Oh it's gonna be good!" Jake promised with a cocky smirk as he rolled off of Ryder and moved to kneel down between his legs.

In truth Jake wanted nothing more than to pass out. His own release had left him decidedly lacking in sexual energy and he didn't find the notion of sucking on Ryder's dick particularly appealing. Nevertheless, Jake wanted very much to return some of the earth-shattering pleasure to his friend that he had just experienced. He was determined to do whatever it took to bring Ryder to the pinnacle and then keep him hoovering there for as long as he could.

Jake teased him as he worked, carefully reading Ryder's body for each reaction and bringing him steadily closer, but not quite over the edge. Finally, forty-five minutes, a dry mouth, and one very sore neck later, Jake took Ryder to the precipice and shoved him over, drowning him in the flood of pleasure and relief that followed.

Ryder didn't know if he could take it. Jake had edged him closer and closer for so long that now that he was finally being allowed to cum, it felt like his whole body was erupting through his cock. Ryder tried to muffle his cries with a pillow, but he suspected that he still woke everyone in the house.

Jake wasn't giving up on him now either. He was gently but firmly pressing on Ryder's pelvis with the palm of one hand and rubbing Ryder's balls with the other, doing everything he could to coax Ryder into firing every drop possible. He also kept his mouth firmly sealed in place during the moment of truth. He choked and sputtered, but he kept Ryder's shaft fully cocooned in the warm wetness as he drained himself.

"Wow!" Ryder gasped, exhausted and glistening with a thin sheen of perspiration. "I don't think I did it _that_ good for you."

"Oh you did," Jake assured him, sinking down on his back next to Ryder, both boys sweaty and utterly sated. "You did that good and then some."

"You know what's awesome about this room?" Ryder asked a couple of minutes later once his heart had stopped racing and his breathing had evened out.

"All that oral sex we just had in it?" Jake guessed, sniggering.

"Well that too, but I was gonna say the fact that it has a shower," Ryder responded motioning toward the bathroom.

"Yeah that is pretty awesome." Jake nodded and laughed as he slid off the bed and walked into the bathroom, Ryder following behind him.

**-000-**

**End Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was actually a small 'first' for me as well, because I'm pretty sure this is the only oral only scene I've ever written, and also the most detailed oral scene I've ever written. Speaking of detailed, I know it was more detailed with Jake on the receiving end than Ryder. I imagine it about equally awesome and enjoyable for both guys, but yeah as far as the narration goes, Jake's got a bit more focus. So on that note, I promise at least one sexually graphic, Ryder-centric scene before the end of the story.**

**This was also my first time ever writing Kitty or Marley, so I hope they came out okay. Let me know what you thought of the chapter if you get the chance. I'm excited for tomorrow's chapter because it's actually my favorite so far. **


	3. Chapter 3: Collegiate Adventure

**Jyder Week: Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love**

**A/N: Here's the third chapter. Once again it's a couple of hours early, so I hope you'll pardon me. Unfortunately, however, this is probably the point where I'll have to deviate from the Jyder week timeline. I'm just not a particularly fast author (I did these first three before things got underway), and now that I'm out of pre-written chapters there are probably going to be some delays. So what that means is that I _will_ be posting chapters for the last four themes, but they'll come more slowly and no longer be on schedule for Jyder week. I'll still try to get them out as quickly as possible though and if there's any way I can finish chapter 4 tomorrow and post it, I definitely will.**

**Jyder Week Theme: College**

**Chapter 3 – Collegiate Adventure **

"Bye baby," Tanisha Puckerman said as she wrapped her arms around her son. She slowly pulled away from the embrace, but left her hands in place around his arms. "Promise you'll call if you need anything. And call just to let me know how you're doing. And you _have_ to come visit on weekends and holidays. And–"

"MOM!" Jake cut her off, somewhat annoyed, but still smiling. He spoke slowly and decisively. "I will call. I will visit. It's gonna be okay."

"That's easy for you to say," Tanisha muttered as she pulled Jake in for another hug.

After she finally left Jake couldn't resist breathing out a small sigh of relief. He would miss his mother of course, but it was pretty awesome to be in an apartment of his own. He cast his eyes around the small living room, trying to visualize how it would look when it wasn't littered with boxes and randomly scattered furniture.

Jake frowned as he eyed the couch. He and Ryder hadn't settled on where they were going to put that and the TV yet. They each wanted the items along different walls, and it didn't escape Jake's attention that when Ryder and his dad had unloaded the couch, Ryder had instructed his dad to help him position it near the location that _he_ preferred. Well, Ryder had another thing coming if he thought Jake was going to give up that easy. They could just drag it over to where Jake wanted it instead.

It was the week before the beginning of Jake and Ryder's freshman year of college at Ohio State and they were going to be rooming together in an off campus apartment a short distance from the school. Jake was thrilled that they would have the comparative luxury of their own apartment rather than having to put up with dorm rooms. They would even still be close enough that they could practically walk to parties and football games...and there were classes too. Jake supposed it was nice that the classes were nearby as well. As an added bonus Kitty and Marley had also gotten a unit in the same complex.

Jake smiled to himself as he walked down the hallway to his new room, eager to begin unpacking the bare necessities so that his new life could properly begin. The rest of his stuff could wait until he needed it. Jake continued grinning as he set about his task. He had a good feeling about how things were going to go with this whole college adventure thing.

In the next room, Ryder and his dad were finishing the assembly of Ryder's bed and Ryder's patience was starting to wear very thin. As he always did, Keith Lynn had insisted on reading both the assembly and safety manuals in their entireties prior to allowing Ryder or himself to touch anything. After his initial read-throughs, he then flipped back to the beginning page of the assembly manual and insisted that they meticulously follow each and every step in exactly the way it was written without even the smallest deviation.

Ryder was positive that this project had taken three times longer than it would have if he and Jake had just done it on their own that evening. However, as aggravated as he was, Ryder was trying his hardest not to get into an argument with his dad. If he could just go for a little while longer, his move-out day could end on good terms.

"I think we're done," Keith answered, his voice much more uncertain than usual as he scrutinized the back cover of the installation booklet, carefully reading the fine print along the bottom of the page. Nope, no more instructions, just the company logo, address, and website.

"I think so too," Ryder agreed. His first clue had been the fact that there was now a fully assembled bed sitting in the middle of the room.

"Since I have no purpose in staying, I suppose I'll leave," Keith said in a somber voice as he stood.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Ryder asked, concerned as he noticed not only the sad tone of his father's voice, but also the unhappy look on his face.

"Oh it's nothing to worry about," Keith assured him, his calm and rational tone back in place. "I'm simply experiencing a lowered mood combined with feelings of nostalgia and anxiety over the fact that we will no longer be residing in the same domicile. I did some research and it seems these feelings are quite normal. The condition is referred to as 'Empty Nest Syndrome.' It usually manifests itself most severely in full-time mothers; however, as a single, primary parent I suspect that I suffer from some of the same susceptibilities. If the symptoms persist for more than two weeks I shall seek treatment."

Ryder frowned. It was hard to imagine his father having an emotional crisis of all things, but it was still very troubling and made Ryder feel guilty and anxious.

"Uh, how 'bout if I try and call and text you often, at least until you start to feel better?"

Keith paused and considered the suggestion for a few moments before slowly nodding, a smile forming on his face. "Why yes! I think that would be helpful. Thank you, son."

"No problem," Ryder answered with a smirk as he stood and followed his father out of the room.

"Homesickness is quite common in the offspring as well. So don't be alarmed if you also experience symptoms."

"Thanks for the heads up."

"Although I imagine having your romantic partner on hand will help significantly," Keith said, using his default, matter-of-fact tone, as they walked into the living room,

Matter-of-fact or not, Ryder felt like his heart had just leaped into his mouth when he heard his dad's words. Anxiety, fear, and confusion all crashed over him at once, battling for domination.

"Dad, I-I'm not dating anyone."

Keith's eyebrows knitted together. "What about Jacob?"

Ryder shook his head vigorously. "He's just- We're just-...Friends. Just friends."

Keith pondered the response for a little while. He knew that he often misconstrued the subtleties of other people's social interactions, so he decided to run through the list of things that he did know about their relationship in an effort to gain clarity.

"You're friends."

"Yes."

"And you're roommates."

"Yes."

"And you're sex partners."

Ryder gasped and held up his hands, as if to physically block the idea. "Wh-why would you think that?"

"Well because you are. The two of you frequently spend the night with each other. And when you're together at our home I often hear sex noises emanating from your room."

"No! No!" Ryder continued shaking his head insistently and waving the notion away with his hands. He was horrified that his dad had overheard them, and now he was worried that Jake's mother might have also overheard. "You misunderstood what was happening."

"Hmm." Keith considered that for a few seconds and then shook his head. "No, that doesn't seem plausible. The two of you often get quite loud. It would be difficult to misinterpret all those moans and sexually graphic dialogue. If you and Jacob aren't enjoying sexual release together, then the only other rational explanation I can think of is that the two of you are intentionally perpetrating some sort of elaborate hoax to make me misconstrue the circumstances. However, that hypothesis would violate Occam's Razor. Apart from which it wouldn't make sense for you to deny it if you wanted me to believe it."

Ryder blushed and looked at the ground, praying it would just swallow him up now and spare him from the rest of this conversation.

"It's much more logical to conclude that you and Jacob are indeed engaging in an authentic sexual relationship, but that you have a motivation to keep it secret – which I don't personally understand, but people are often secretive about sexual matters. I speculate that once in the throes of passion you and Jacob are getting carried away and making more noise than you intend, thereby revealing your would-be clandestine encounters."

Keith finished laying out his hypothesis with a decisive nod, satisfied that he had successfully explained all the information with which he had been presented. Then as an afterthought he decided to try to put Ryder at ease by relating to him on a more informal, personal level. "Congratulations on all those powerful orgasms by the way. They sounded quite intense."

"Dad!" Ryder yelled, glaring at him. "You _cannot_ say that to someone! Especially not to your son."

Keith furrowed his brow and shrugged, still unsure of what he had done wrong. "Very well. I won't bring them up again if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Good," Ryder answered, still annoyed and embarrassed.

"However, regardless of the sexual aspect of your relationship with Jacob, the point I was originally trying to make was that I am pleased that you will still be sharing a home with someone who cares about your well being and wants you to be happy. I'm sure this will make the transition easier for you."

Ryder looked up and nodded slowly. It occurred to him that in his dad's own absurd, socially awkward way, he was actually being pretty cool. "Thanks dad."

Keith smiled. "Goodbye, son. Please contact me if any troublesome situations arise, the challenges of which you feel that you are ill-prepared to face, but in the further event that you feel I may be capable of assisting you in the overcoming thereof."

Ryder laughed and opened the door for his father. "I'll call you if I need you, dad."

"What a succinct way to phrase that," Keith said approvingly as he left.

**-000-**

"Whoa, what the hell, dude?" Jake demanded, leaning away from Ryder and glowering at him.

Jake had been sitting at the kitchen table, minding his own business and studying for his chemistry midterm when Ryder had just walked in and casually kissed him on the lips. If it hadn't been _Ryder_ who had done it, Jake would have punched the guy's lights out. Regardless, his roommate had a lot of explaining to do.

"What?" Ryder asked defensively.

Ryder had overslept that morning and been late for his first class, forgotten his wallet and been unable to buy lunch, and then received a D- on an essay he had spent over two weeks working on. His day was already abysmal enough without Jake adding to it by flipping out over a little kiss. A kiss that had been meant as a _nice_ gesture.

"You just fucking kissed me!" Jake barked, tossing his textbook on the table for dramatic effect and still glaring at the other guy.

"So what, am I only allowed to do that when I'm about to suck your dick?" Ryder shot back.

"YES!" Jake answered emphatically.

Ryder's eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. He spoke in a low, cold tone of voice when he answered. "Well don't worry, because I won't be doing either one for awhile."

"Good!" Jake declared. He felt a sharp pang of guilt a moment later as surprise and then hurt flashed across Ryder's face.

Ryder turned and hustled out of the kitchen in response, barely managing to keep his speed below the embarrassed-and-running-away zone. Skipped lunch or not he suddenly wasn't hungry and wanted to be anywhere but near Jake.

"Ryder wait!" Jake shouted as he got up and jogged after his roommate. He caught up with him just in time for Ryder's bedroom door to slam shut in his face. The lock clicked a moment later.

"Lemme in!" Jake struck the door insistently, angry and remorseful in equal parts.

"Go away," Ryder called back.

Jake's heart dropped as he detected the emotional undercurrent in Ryder's voice. He forced himself to calm down and make his own tone apologetic. "Please let me in so I can apologize and tell you what a jerk I am."

The apartment was silent for several seconds and Jake had just begun to think his plea would go unanswered when he heard the sound of the door being unlocked. A moment later it opened.

"Even if we make up I am _not_ sucking you off tonight."

"Okay," Jake said as neutrally as he could. "I really didn't want you to."

Another confused, offended look crossed Ryder's face so Jake hurried to continue his explanation.

"It's not that you aren't _awesome_ at it. And seriously you rock for helping me out with that for all this time."

"...So you just don't wanna do me anymore?" Ryder guessed. Before he could get angry or upset Jake was shaking his head.

"No, that's not it either. I'm completely fine with taking my turn. It's only fair and after what you do for me I _want_ to do it for you."

"You're really good at it too," Ryder reluctantly complimented, already dreading the way this conversation was going and wondering if he was about to start missing Jake's soft, wet lips, and warm, talented tongue.

"I know," Jake answered with a cocky smirk. "But...well you just kissed me like it was nothing."

"Are you fucking serious?" Ryder demanded, crossing his arms. "That's really what this is about? Oh my god, Jake, I've kissed you like a thousand times or something. It's really not that big a deal. I'm sorry I did it outside of bed. I didn't realize you would freak."

"You did it last week when you got home from the store too."

"I don't even remember that." Ryder sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Exactly. That's my point. It's not a big deal anymore. This whole _thing._" Jake first motioned between them normally with his arm, but then also added a blow job gesture for emphasis. "Is becoming _too_ comfortable."

"We're supposed to be uptight about it?"

"We're just not supposed to get so complacent about it that we're okay with doing it for the rest of our lives." Jake sat down next to Ryder and wrapped his arm around Ryder's shoulders. Ryder gave him a questioning look. "This isn't sexual. It's just friendly."

"Jake, I'm not asking you to fucking marry me." Both boys winced at the idea. "It's just pretty awesome that we can take care of each other like that. How many other guys our age, without steady girlfriends or a host of STDs, do you think are getting all the Bjs and handjobs they can handle?"

"Yeah, but we're so _not_ sexually frustrated, and so content with this arrangement that neither one of us has even been on a date since before Kitty's Christmas party last year. Fuck, sometimes we even sleep in each other's beds."

"That's...nice sometimes."

"Yeah, it is nice," Jake agreed. "I admit it. The sex, the affection, the companionship or whatever – they're all really nice. But dude, our typical Friday nights involve hanging out, sometimes going out to eat together, watching a movie or playing some games, getting each other off, and then maybe even sleeping together too...we're basically dating and neither one of us is even gay. It's messed up."

"I hadn't really thought of it like that," Ryder answered quietly with grim resignation. Maybe Jake was right; maybe they were basically dating. It certainly felt like he was being dumped.

"I hadn't either until recently," Jake said, pulling Ryder close against his side with the arm that was around his shoulders and using his other hand to pat Ryder's thigh reassuringly. The last thing he had wanted to do was hurt Ryder. "You know if I was gay or bi, I'd be all over you, bro."

Ryder chuckled and leaned his head against Jake's. "Yeah, same here."

Jake thought about that statement for a few moments, carefully processing his friend's words. Ryder had always seemed more than enthusiastic about what they did in bed, and he was certainly taking this discussion pretty hard too.

"Uh actually, if you uh I dunno...maybe realized that you like what we've been doing a whole lot and decided that you want to date guys or something...You know I wouldn't even blink, right?"

"I'm not gay," Ryder said slightly defensively, raising his head and frowning at Jake. "I'm still into girls."

"Okay cool," Jake answered, not entirely convinced. He believed what Ryder was telling him, but part of him suspected that maybe Ryder had some same-sex attraction he wasn't even aware of yet. Jake decided to re-emphasize his point: He was going to be there for Ryder no matter what.

"'Cause all I'm sayin', bro, is that I want us both to be happy. Girls, or guys, I don't care. All that matters is that we find people who can give us what we each need and deserve."

Ryder nodded, deciding not to mention the fact that Jake had already basically said earlier in the conversation that he was happy and satisfied with what they had. If he wanted to stop doing this, then Ryder had no intention of arguing. "Okay, so no more sexual stuff or affectionate stuff right?"

"Well not _no more_ affectionate stuff...I mean we're still best bros," Jake answered. "But yeah, no more sexual stuff and no more _really_ affectionate stuff that regular, platonic friends wouldn't do."

Ryder pulled away from Jake and stood up, pretty sure that most 'regular best bros' didn't rub each other's thighs or even sit as close as Jake was doing.

"Okay," Ryder said with a nod. "Just regular friends."

**-000-**

It was the night before Ryder's first final exam of his college career, Introduction to Classical Literature, and he was reasonably confident...that he was going to bomb it. The words kept jumbling together in a blur and he found himself barely able to get through a paragraph, let alone the numerous chapters he needed to review. He knew that part of the problem was that he hadn't been getting enough sleep and that his fatigue and stress were worsening his dyslexia.

"Eugh!" he exclaimed as he threw the textbook against the floor in frustration.

He sprawled out on his back on the bed, glaring at the overhead light just for being on. He didn't bother to get up and switch it off. Instead he just draped an arm over his eyes. He didn't really want to go to sleep anyway. He needed to keep studying.

A little while later Jake knocked on his open bedroom door. "You okay, man?"

"I'm pissed off," Ryder answered, still not lifting his arm from his face. "Why did Plato have to write so damn much?"

"There was no internet porn back then to distract him," Jake offered.

Ryder laughed hard and sat up. It probably wasn't as funny as he thought it was, but instantly the mental image of on an old Greek dude wearing a laurel on his head and sitting in front of a laptop with his hands under his tunic as he looked at porn popped into his head.

"You're probably right. He had to beat off to that _Symposium_ shit instead," Ryder remarked as Jake picked up the discarded course book and took a seat on his bed.

"This looks like a beast to get through," Jake said, holding up the book with a frown.

"Yeah, try doing it with dyslexia."

"Hmm, you know my first final isn't till Wednesday."

"Lucky you," Ryder said sarcastically.

"_So_, I've got some time to study. How 'bout I read this to you for awhile? You know, give your dyslexia a break. You can just listen."

"You don't have to do that," Ryder said with surprise. "I mean, it'd be really awesome, but I'm sure it's not how you wanna spend your evening."

"It wasn't top of the list, but it's cool. Just relax." Jake put his hand on Ryder's chest and urged him back down against the pillow. Then he sat cross-legged on the bed, his knee resting lightly against Ryder's side as he started to read.

Something about sitting with Ryder like this on the bed, gently touching him, glancing over at him occasionally, it was having an effect on Jake. He was sure it wasn't actual sexual attraction, just a residual effect of all the times they had messed around in the past, some lingering physical memory.

**-000-**

_You know that Jenny girl I went out with a few times? God, what a bitch! It made me miss the uncomplicated thing we had._

Jake shook his head. That wouldn't work. It made it sound like he just didn't have any better options.

_So you haven't been on any dates since we quit hooking up. I bet you're really horny, huh?_

Jake frowned. That would sound like he was trying to do Ryder some kind of favor.

_Jenny didn't suck cock half as good as you, man!_

Jake snickered. That was true, but maybe not the best opening.

_Whoa! Those pants make you look hot as fuck, dude. Let's get at it._

Jake sighed and readjusted himself as he stole another glance at his roommate in the kitchen, hunched over the sink.

_Who even wears jeans that tight to wash dishes? I think he's fuckin' with me on purpose._

"Jake, could you give me a hand?"

_Hand, mouth, cock – whatever you need, bro. Just tell me where you want it._

"It won't take long if we do it together."

_...Or maybe it will if we do it right. God, those were the best times, when we would just keep going and going until we couldn't take it anymore. Unnnhhh!_

"Doing this by myself kinda sucks."

_Same here, man, same here. Why the hell did we ever stop?_

"You know, part of this sticky mess is yours and my hands are starting to hurt."

_Okay, now you're just making this too easy._

"Fuck man, are you even listening?!"

Ryder threw the dishtowel at his roommate's head, angry that he was just sitting there staring off into space while Ryder was cleaning up the whole kitchen by himself. Ryder didn't know what the hell he had to do to get Jake's attention. He felt like he was invisible to Jake.

**-000-**

"So what's with you and Jake?" Marley asked as they drove to the movie theater. They had stopped at a traffic light so she took the opportunity to catch and hold his eye while she spoke.

"Nothing, why?" Ryder asked back, starting to feel nervous. Had Jake told her something?

"Every time I try to get us all together, he's all for it, but you back out."

"I never backed out of anything. Stuff just kept coming up. Besides, I've just spent the last two semesters living with Jake. Maybe I just want a break for the summer."

"A break from your best friend?" Marley asked.

"Everyone needs time apart," Ryder answered with a shrug.

"I've been spending time with Kitty over the summer."

"You're girls," Ryder said. "It's different for guys."

"Right," Marley said sarcastically. "I guess those big cocks of yours keep getting in the way and causing all kinds of trouble."

"You know, I think you've been spending _too much_ time with Kitty."

"All I'm saying is, Jake and his big cock miss you," Marley answered.

Ryder glanced at her hopefully. "They said th- I mean _he_ said that?"

Marley rolled her eyes as she pulled into the theater parking lot. "Yes, he did."

**-000-**

"Hey Jake!" Ryder greeted enthusiastically as he walked into the apartment for the first time since the spring semester had ended.

Jake was lying on the couch watching TV, having come back the day before. He grunted in response and turned up the volume, hoping Ryder would take the hint.

"How was your break?" Ryder asked as he left his suitcases sitting by the door and crossed the room to plop down on the end of the sofa near Jake's bare feet.

Jake scowled at him and pushed him away with one foot. It wasn't a kick, just a not-so-subtle nudge indicating that Ryder should clear out and give him some space.

"My break was good. Very relaxing."

"Oh yeah?" Jake asked as he muted the television and sat up. "Good. I'm so glad ignoring all my calls and texts wasn't stressful for you."

Ryder frowned and his cheerful facade crumbled. He had hoped that by pretending everything was okay between them it would be.

"Sorry about that. I was...busy a lot."

"You were busy?"

"Yeah."

"In between all the relaxing?"

"Uhh..." Ryder felt himself blushing as he shrugged. "You know how it is, busy relaxing."

"And hanging out with all our friends, but me?"

"They just uh, caught me more at the relaxing times than the busy times, whereas you kept catching me at the busy times and..." Ryder trailed off as Jake stood up and started walking away. "Where are you going?"

"Room."

"Don't you want to talk?"

Jake whirled around, his hands clenched in fists at his sides. "I wanted to talk for three fucking months, you asshole! Just go be busy relaxing and leave me the hell alone."

Jake stormed down the hall, but Ryder followed closely behind. Before Jake could slam his door shut, Ryder was already pushing past him and taking a seat on his bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jake asked, his voice low and clipped.

Ryder forced a grin onto his tense face as he lay back across Jake's bed and said with a nervous laugh, "Take me. I'm yours."

"What the actual fuck are you talking about?" Jake didn't move toward Ryder, but he didn't move away either.

Ryder sat up on the bed and looked at Jake anxiously. "Okay. Uh...this is gonna be kinda hard to say."

Jake wanted to tell Ryder to save it, to just shut up and get out. As he looked back at him, however, he felt something start to soften inside of him. Ryder looked so scared, but so determined to say whatever it was he needed to say. It made him look younger too, vulnerable. It reminded Jake of a conversation he had watched Ryder have several years ago, shortly after they had first become friends. That was under very different circumstances and it hadn't even directly involved Jake, but...

"Well if you mispronounce something I'll correct you." Jake tried to speak in a formal, precise tone of voice. He knew it was a horrible impersonation of Ryder's father, but it served its purpose as Ryder visibly relaxed and smiled.

Ryder was thrilled with the reference and recognized it immediately from that emotionally supercharged day years ago. He also recognized the fact that Jake had basically just said he would hear him out.

"Perhaps if you rubbed my back in a consoling fashion it would help lower my cortisol levels and enable me to continue," Ryder answered smirking, but also legitimately hoping Jake might oblige him and do just that. His heart was racing and he felt like he had swallowed a hyper gerbil. However, he had a feeling if Jake touched him, he would start to calm down.

Jake nodded and shut the door. They didn't exactly need the privacy since they were alone in the apartment, but it still felt like it improved the atmosphere somehow. He crossed the small distance and sat down on the bed next to Ryder.

"There, there," Jake said stiffly for effect as he rubbed Ryder's back. He looked into his eyes and smiled at him.

"That's what my dad _told_ you to say, but that isn't what you _actually_ said," Ryder pointed out.

"What did I say?" Jake asked.

"You offered to say it for me so I wouldn't have to," Ryder answered.

Jake nodded, remembering that detail in retrospect. He thought about the situation for a little while. He wasn't sure what Ryder wanted to say, not exactly, but the way that Ryder was looking at him, responding to his touch – he had an idea of the gist of what Ryder might be planning to reveal. And Ryder looked scared. That was the hard part; that was what bothered Jake the most. It had always sucked seeing Ryder scared or uncomfortable. Perhaps that was why a big part of Jake did want to do this for his friend, why part of him very much wanted to be the one to take this risk so that Ryder wouldn't have to.

But he couldn't. He couldn't put himself out there again, not even for Ryder. _Especially_ not for Ryder. Not when he had dropped hint after hint throughout their entire spring semester. Not when he had called and texted practically every day all summer long, right up until the last couple of weeks. It just hurt too much the way Ryder had rejected him. Jake may have screwed up and bailed on their relationship as soon as it had started to feel like a relationship, but Ryder had bailed on their entire _friendship_. Jake would have never done that. He would have never left Ryder alone to suffer for three months. He sure as hell wouldn't have done it without a word of explanation.

"I...I really can't don't that, Ryder. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Ryder said quietly. "You don't have to." His heart was breaking as he began to understand the depth of pain he had caused Jake. He reached over and took his hand as he started speaking, more for Jake's comfort than his own.

"When you...ended things last fall. I was confused."

"I tried to explain. I–"

"I know. I got that. I was confused about what I felt. It hurt just like a break up would have."

"I was still there for you. I never abandoned you as a friend," Jake remarked, half-bitter about what Ryder had done, and half-defensive about the pain that he knew he himself had caused.

"That's actually why I was so confused," Ryder answered. Jake gave him a questioning look as he continued. "You were still right there, being my best friend, lookin' out for me, hell even reading to me when I had a lot to study."

"And that bothered you?" Jake asked, the anger returning to his face in full force.

"No, that was really awesome! Thank you." Ryder squeezed Jake's hand and smiled at him. "What confused me is why it hurt so much. Why I felt so lonely and missed you so much when you were right there." Ryder paused but then forced himself to continue. "While we were still, you know, 'doing stuff,' I guess I sort of knew that..."

This was it, the moment of truth. There would be no taking this back. Ryder looked into Jake's face again, trying desperately to read his feelings.

"Go on," Jake urged, intentionally making his expression and voice as impassive as possible.

Ryder inhaled deeply and took the plunge. "I guess I knew that I had feelings for you."

Ryder examined Jake carefully. He could tell that Jake was still trying his best not to give anything away, and indeed his face hadn't reacted a bit. Fortunately, however, his eyes were a different story. Ryder had seen a spark flash in them and before Jake could stop himself, he had also squeezed Ryder's hand. It had been soft, almost imperceptible, but Ryder had felt it.

"I knew had feelings for you, but I also _didn't_ know if that makes any sense," Ryder continued, emboldened by Jake's minute reaction.

"But after we..." Ryder shrugged, unsure how else to say it. "Broke up, then I really started to know. And by the time summer began..."

"You were desperate to get away from me," Jake finished for him bitterly.

"I was desperate to try to get over you," Ryder corrected.

"Did it work?"

"Almost. I think it might have if you hadn't blown up my phone with texts and voicemails." Ryder laughed and nudged Jake with his shoulder.

Jake didn't smile or nudge back. "But you didn't respond to any of 'em."

Ryder frowned and began rubbing Jake's back with his free hand. He gently squeezed Jake's fingers with his other hand. Their earlier roles were completely reversed now. Ryder felt just as desperate to comfort Jake as Jake had been to comfort him earlier in the conversation.

"I...should of."

"Yeah."

"I just- I guess I needed to see how committed you were. I mean at first I didn't really think anything of it anyway. I just thought you were calling or texting as my friend, but then when I didn't respond you got...well really desperate."

"Dude!" Jake snapped.

"Which was good," Ryder insisted. "Because that's when I started to realize you felt the same way."

Jake took a deep breath and gradually let it out, slowly processing Ryder's words and trying to figure out how he felt about them.

"I'm still mad at you," Jake said.

Ryder shrugged. "I'm still kinda mad at you too."

"But I'm really sorry!" They said in unison a moment later.

They both laughed and grinned at each other in response, hands running over arms as they relaxed and took a few moments to just enjoy touching each other openly again.

"So where does all this leave us?" Jake asked almost shyly a little while later.

Ryder raised a hand to cup Jake's face and smiled at him.

"With a lot of time to make up for," Ryder said as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jake's.

**-000-**

**End Note: Please let me know what you thought of this one!**

**The next theme up is AU, and despite the fact that it's AU, I'm going to work an AU storyline into this story universe.**


	4. Chapter 4: Spanning History

**Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love**

**A/N: So this was absolutely by far the most difficult Jyder Week piece I've written. I've been working exclusively on this one chapter for almost a week, and I still feel like it's a big, ugly, hot mess. I doubt I did the topic justice, the plot and writing aren't that great, and it may even be unintentionally offensive or controversial. So my apologies and regrets. You guys should definitely feel free to just skip this one if so inclined. **

**Jyder Week Theme: AU**

**Chapter 4 – Spanning History**

"Are you coming to bed soon?" Jake asked, blurry-eyed as he stood in the doorway of his old room.

It was still sort of his room and a lot of his stuff was still in it, but they mostly only used it for studying and homework now, preferring to actually sleep, or mess around, in Ryder's room. It wasn't something they had ever discussed; Ryder simply had the newer, more comfortable mattress on the newer, more meticulously assembled bed.

"Can't. History test tomorrow," Ryder answered, hardly looking up from his book and notes as he tried to cross-reference the information. The dates in his notes seemed off somehow and he was getting thoroughly frustrated.

"And there's nothing I can do to entice you?" Jake pressed in a low voice as he stepped up behind Ryder and draped himself over him, arms hanging down over Ryder's hard chest, hands stroking over his firm stomach. Jake trailed kisses along Ryder's jawline until he finally turned, giving Jake access to his mouth.

"You're horny aren't you?" Ryder asked a little while later as he broke the kiss.

"What gave me away?" Jake asked with a smirk.

"Crud, now you got me hard too," Ryder complained, rubbing a hand over the crotch of his tented pajama pants.

"Wanna know a secret?" Jake asked, grinning entirely too cutely for Ryder's good.

"Huh?"

"I was going for that," Jake answered as he pushed Ryder's hand away and replaced it with his own. He got right to the point, skipping all over-the-pants action, and instead undoing the button of Ryder's fly as he went straight in for direct contact.

"You are so not fair," Ryder whined, bucking against Jake's palm. "I really need to study."

"Why dontcha study anatomy instead? I know a very willing test subject."

"I've already studied his anatomy," Ryder responded, his hand snaking up the bottom of Jake's shirt, fingers feasting on hot, taut flesh.

"What did you think of it?" Jake asked, his thumb brushing over Ryder's cockhead just hard enough to make him gasp and shiver.

"It was outstanding," Ryder answered, "But I need to stay focused on history."

With a new burst of resolve Ryder removed his hands from Jake's body and then grabbed his boyfriend by the wrist, insistently pulling Jake's siren digits away from his captive seamen.

"What am I gonna do?" Jake pouted and gave Ryder his best puppy dog eyes.

"This guy seems eager for some action," Ryder said, holding Jake's own hand up to him. "You should talk to him."

"He's a tease," Jake said, frowning at his hand and dropping it to his side.

"Don't I know it," Ryder answered, casting a wistful glance at his erection before returning his attention to his notes.

Jake sighed and kissed the back of Ryder's head. "You want me to stay up with you? I'll read to you."

"No, it's cool. I'm doing alright tonight. You go to sleep, or on a date with Lefty there. And I promise I'll make this up to you tomorrow."

"You better," Jake grumbled before leaning over to give Ryder another kiss on the lips. "Come on, Lefty, let's go meet Rosie Palm and her five lonely sisters."

After a few minutes Ryder gave up on his scribbled notes and settled back into pouring over the tedious textbook instead. Who could have guessed that the American Civil War would be so dull to read about? Oh yeah, right, pretty much everyone ever.

Ryder yawned, struggling valiantly to resist the urge to just say 'screw it' and go join Jake in bed, but gradually getting more and more sleepy. Soon, Ryder's head began to ease forward until it was resting on the desk. That was okay though, Ryder decided, because he wouldn't go to sleep. He would just close his eyes while he mentally reviewed the information. That plan worked for a short time, until Jake started invading his thoughts too, dividing his mind in half. Part of it was still pondering the Civil War, but the rest was buzzing over his true favorite topic: Jake Puckerman.

Eventually the two subjects mingled together in Ryder's brain. After all it was somewhat fascinating that the Civil War dealt with issues of equality between the races and now, a hundred and fifty years later, here was Ryder, happily dating a half-black guy. Ryder whimpered in his semi-asleep state as he thought about how despicable and horrifying slavery was. He was so grateful that he and Jake hadn't lived in those times.

**-000-**

"Jaaake, clo the blines," Ryder murmured sleepily, squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could. He felt around blindly in the bed, hoping to locate his boyfriend and prod him enough to make him get up and defend Ryder against the wicked luminous assault that was disturbing his slumber. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found.

"Jake?"

Ryder's first class each morning was earlier than Jake's, so he wasn't used to waking up to an empty bed. Nor was the full-blown solar invasion happening through his window part of his preferred routine. What an awful start to his day this was shaping up to be.

An instant later Ryder heard the sound of a door creaking opening. _Thank god! He must have gotten up to use the bathroom_, Ryder thought as he smiled to himself. Now Jake would take care of the nasty light situation and then snuggle back up with him until Ryder's alarm went off.

"Close those lights please and come warm me up," Ryder requested.

"But darling, don't you think it's well past time that you were up and attending to the day's labor?" a gentle, feminine voice questioned.

"Marley!" Ryder's eyes shot open and sat bolt upright in alarm.

"Go on now, my dear. Get moving," She insisted with a soft smile as she pulled the covers back. "Remember idle bones are the Devil's caning rods."

Ryder's jaw dropped as he looked past Marley and took in his surroundings for the first time. He was lying in a four-poster bed in the middle of a very old-fashioned looking room with filigree wallpaper and dark, glossy-waxed wood flooring. Along the walls, where Ryder would have expected to see standard-issue apartment-sized windows fitted with mini-blinds, were two tall panels of glass-paned windows. Thick, heavy green drapes hung on ornate rods, and they had been pulled back, allowing all that disruptive sunlight to stream in.

"Marley, what are you doing here?" Ryder asked, covering his crotch self-consciously. Even his clothes were all wrong. He was outfitted in long-john style gray underwear." Wh-what am _I _doing here?….Where is here?"

"You're starting to frighten me, Ryder. Are you feverish?" She swept his bangs aside and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "You don't feel ill," she remarked as she then caressed his cheek. The sensation made Ryder aware of something else equally alarming: he had a beard!

Ryder's hands darted to his head. His hair felt mostly normal, if a bit too greasy, but his sideburns were thick and unruly and they flowed down into a coarse set of muttonchops, then across into a beard and mustache.

"Darling, do I need to send for Dr. Smythe? Your behavior this morning is most distressing."

Ryder glanced back up at Marley. She was wearing a long, flowing blue dress. It was corseted and looked exactly like something out of his Civil War textbook. Her hair trailed down past the middle of her back and almost to her tiny, compressed waist. The most salient feature of her current appearance, however, was the worry etched across her face. Despite the strangeness of the situation, Ryder found himself determined to soothe her.

"I'm okay. I just had a bad dream."

"Oh thank Heavens!" Marley declared, leaning in to give Ryder a brief hug. When she broke away she continued, "We were called upon by Mr. Puckerman about an hour ago."

Somehow in that moment Ryder knew both that she was talking about Jake's brother, Noah Puckerman, and that he owned the property to the south of their land.

"What did he want?"

"One of his slaves escaped. He's offering a reward for it."

Ryder's blood ran cold and he knew with a terrible certainty that she was talking about Jake.

"I told him you would monitor the fields closely today for any sign of the runaway."

"I thought Ohio was a free state?" Ryder asked, mentally picturing the chart in his book that had the status of the states broken into columns.

Marley looked at him strangely for a moment before speaking. "Indeed it is...darling, are you sure you don't need a physician?"

Suddenly more background information popped into Ryder's head. They weren't in Ohio; they were in Kentucky and they were tobacco farmers. Ryder quickly tried to cover his blunder.

"I was just thinking that the slave was probably going to head north toward the Ohio border."

"Oh yes of course!" Marley agreed, her anxious face smoothing over. "Perhaps you should mention that to Mr. Puckerman later."

Ryder frowned at her. He found it hard to believe she was trying to assist their neighbor with his tyranny. "Do you really think this is right?"

"Do I think what is right, dear?"

"Slavery."

"Oh, I agree with whatever you say, darling. I know you support slavery and that you understand the bigger economic picture. That's enough for me," she said pleasantly.

"I've just decided to become an abolitionist," Ryder stated, watching carefully for her reaction.

Surprise flitted across her features. "Really, why?"

"Because I think slavery is wrong," Ryder said, his voice strong with conviction. "It's immoral for one group of people to subjugate another."

"Well, I'm sure you know what's best, dear," Marley answered, her sweet smile never faltering. "Let's not tell the neighbors just yet though. No need to cause unnecessary strife. Why, there are even rumors that war between the states could break out over this issue."

Ryder sighed and frowned as he slid out of bed. He had to find Jake before anyone else did.

**-000-**

Jake may have shared a blood relationship with Puck, but as far as the law and anyone else were concerned Jake was nothing more than the illegitimate son of old man Puckerman's slave mistress. He was just another piece of his brother's property, and Puck made it his purpose in life to remind Jake of this point on a daily basis. Typically this reminder would come in the form of the most demeaning, unpleasant tasks Puck could think of, and he enjoying 'motivating' Jake with the end of a whip or the narrow side of a switch while he worked.

There was a chance for freedom, however. Jake had heard about a safe house on the other side of town. It was a saloon called 'The Purring Pussy' and from the rumors Jake had heard, it was a part of the Underground Railroad. Jake knew that if he could make it there, he would have a legitimate chance of escaping to the North. Thus as soon as a chance to flee his brother's farm had arisen, Jake had leaped at it. His one, singular focus was now getting to that safe house.

Jake's chest was pounding. He was scared and exhausted and he knew that he wouldn't be able stay ahead of his pursuers for much longer. His half-brother had the sheriff and all his men out looking for him, and Jake had already narrowly avoided capture twice. Sweat was drenching his ragged, heavily-soiled shirt, and his old, already-frayed britches had suffered new snags and tears as he tromped through the underbrush, frantic to make it to safety.

At last he spotted an old barn in the distance and began sprinting toward it. He knew it was risky, but he needed to find somewhere to rest and lie low until nightfall. He would stand a better chance of making it to the safe house if he could travel under cover of darkness. He would just have to pray that he could remain out of sight until then.

Jake was relieved as he reached the barn door and found that it was unlocked and that no one seemed to be around. Nevertheless, he had a bad feeling that he was still on the land of his brother's neighbor, Ryder Lynn. If the things Jake had overheard his half-brother saying about Mr. Lynn were true, then he already knew that the man wouldn't hesitate to detain him and return him to Puck.

As if by providence, Jake spotted a work knife laying on a bench near the barn's entrance. He snatched it up and then climbed into the hayloft. If Ryder Lynn did find him, he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

**-000-**

Ryder had been amazed to discover that morning as he had set about his chores, that he actually knew what he was doing. In fact he even felt himself working according to some preset routine, anticipating his next move moments before he needed to make it.

Of course all Ryder really wanted to do was go and look for Jake. The problem was that he had no idea where to actually begin his search. Moreover, a tiny voice in the back of his head told him not to leave the farm, that Jake was nearby. A couple of hours before lunchtime Ryder, walked into his barn to retrieve some equipment.

Jake's heart almost stopped as he heard the sound of the barn door opening. He quickly scrambled deeper within his hiding place in the hayloft, cursing himself for the small amount of noise he made in the process.

Ryder glanced curiously at the ceiling. He had heard a quiet shuffling sound coming from the beams above his head. A thin cloud of dust and tiny debris was also wafting slowly down from between the spaces in the boards. Something or someone was in the hayloft, and that little voice inside Ryder was screaming at him to go and check it out.

Jake held his breath as he heard the sound of someone scaling the wooden ladder that led to the structure's upper floor. He clenched the knife more tightly, praying that he wouldn't have to use it.

Ryder could barely contain his excitement as he poked his head into the loft and saw...nothing. Ryder climbed the rest of the way in, looking around carefully as he did so. There wasn't much to see. The hayloft was just a small space, barely large enough for him to stand straight up, with square bales of hay stacked all around.

Yet the feeling inside Ryder was growing, becoming more intense. He had to be missing something. That was when he noticed that because the ceiling was sloped, the column of hay along the back wall must have had a small space between the bottom bales and the angled roof. Ryder walked over to investigate, slowly peering around the edge of the bales.

Ryder sucked in a breath, half-startled, half-ecstatic as he spotted a figure scrunched into the small space. He was barefoot. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his arms were folded over his head, obscuring his face. Obscured or not, Ryder would have recognized this guy anywhere, or anywhen.

"Jake!" Ryder threw himself down on his knees and slid into the small space next to him, quickly wrapping his arms around the other the guy. "Are you okay? I was so worried. I thought–"

Ryder gasped and his words abruptly trailed off as Jake raised his head and unwound his arms from around his knees. In Jake's right hand was the small blade, and before Ryder had a chance to react, Jake was pressing it against his throat.

"I'm not going back," Jake growled, his voice just above a whisper as his left hand tangled into the back of Ryder's long hair, pulling his head back and further exposing his neck to the sharp steel.

Ryder wasn't frightened. Rationally he knew that he probably should have been, but it was impossible. This was still Jake, the guy he slept next to every night, the guy he kissed and held and made love to. That's why what was much more distressing to Ryder than the knife against throat, was Jake's appearance. He had longer hair and a beard of course, just like Ryder, but he also had multiple long scars along his cheeks and forehead. His nose was crooked, as though it had been broken repeatedly in the past. Worst of all, however, was Jake's left eye, which was discolored and glassy. Ryder could tell that it wasn't looking back at him, that Jake no longer had sight in it.

"What happened?" Ryder whispered, voice thick with emotion as he raised his hand to cup Jake's face.

Jake immediately pulled away from Ryder's touch, surprise contorting his features. In retaliation he pressed the tip of the blade harder against Ryder's throat, almost breaking the skin.

"I _will_ kill you to protect myself."

"Jake, look at me," Ryder pleaded, trying to catch Jake's one good eye with his gaze.

"Look at me," Ryder repeated, tentatively reaching out again and stroking his thumb against Jake's face, gently trying to urge him into eye contact.

Jake reluctantly acquiesced, compelled by something he couldn't explain as he peered into Ryder's dark brown eyes. Jake was taken off guard by the tenderness and compassion that he saw there. He had always heard that the owner of the Lynn estate was just as cruel and heartless as his own half-brother. Looking at Ryder now, however, he found that quite difficult to believe.

"You're going to be okay. I'm not going to let them hurt you anymore," Ryder promised, eyes starting to glisten with unspilt tears.

"Why should I believe you?" Jake demanded, his voice harsh and raspy.

"Because it's me, Jake. And because it's you. I don't know what's going on. I don't know why we're here, but I know we're still _us_."

"Uh-us?"

"Yeah. Us," Ryder repeated quietly, once again caressing Jake's face. This time Jake didn't try to pull away. "I'm gonna hug you now. So you need to put down the knife."

As soon as Ryder began moving forward, Jake found himself doing just as Ryder had asked, lowering the knife and tossing it away. Jake still wasn't sure why this man felt so familiar, why he trusted him. He had never seen him or spoken to him before today; he was basically a stranger. And yet as Ryder began to embrace him, Jake discovered that he didn't feel like a stranger at all. He wasn't just Mr. Lynn who owned the neighboring property; he was...

"_Ryder!_" Jake whispered, clutching him close. A sense of calm that was both utterly foreign and completely familiar washed over him.

"I gotcha now," Ryder whispered back, pulling away just enough to place a kiss on Jake's lips.

Jake was momentarily surprised, briefly confused that apparently this was something that they did. He had never before thought that he would be kissed by another man, and it certainly hadn't crossed his mind that he might like it. But he did. Jake liked it so much that he found himself pulling Ryder's face close against his own and opening his mouth, inviting Ryder inside.

Several minutes later when the kiss ended Ryder opened his eyes and whispered against Jake's lips, "We need to get you out of here."

Jake nodded and sat back. "Do you know how to find The Purring Pussy?"

Ryder was bemused by the question.

"Uhh, well it's been a couple years, but..." Another flicker of knowing sparked in Ryder's mind and he realized what Jake was talking about. "Oh you mean the saloon. Yeah, I think I know how to get there."

**-000-**

The Purring Pussy turned out to be more of a brothel than a saloon. As soon as they had pulled up in front of it, Ryder recalled the reputation it had. He wondered what awaited them inside, what sort of signal or password they were supposed to give to let the owner know what they really needed.

"Thank you for this, Ryder," Jake said softly. He was sitting in the carriage next to Ryder, a thick, hooded cloak drawn around his body.

"I'm staying with you," Ryder promised, taking Jake's hand and giving it a small squeeze.

Jake smiled and squeezed back. He was finding that the more time he spent in Ryder's company, the more right it felt. He couldn't even bring himself to tell the other man that he didn't have to do that for Jake, that he didn't have to give up his whole life to be with him. Selfish as it was, Jake wanted him to do precisely that and he wanted it far too much to protest.

After cautiously looking around, the pair climbed out of the carriage and hurried inside. Jake hung back, vigilant of any danger as Ryder approached the front desk and rang the bell. A short while later an attractive blond woman in a tight red dress emerged from a backroom.

"Kitty!" Ryder exclaimed.

"That's 'Miss Kitty' to you, stranger," the woman answered, hands on her hips as she sashayed toward them.

"Payment's due in advance and my girls reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." She paused and looked Ryder up and down before licking her bright red lips. "Although I can't imagine any of them turning you away, handsome. In fact if you'd like a piece of the head pussycat's tail, I'd be happy to–"

"We're here for the other service you provide," Ryder answered.

"You want a drink?" Kitty asked, glancing back at the bar. "Fine, pick your poison."

"The _other_ other service," Jake explained, lowering his hood and stepping out of the shadows.

"Oh!" Kitty looked around suspiciously and eyed them up and down. "What are _you_ doing here then?" she asked Ryder.

By way of explanation Ryder reached out and laced his fingers together with Jake's then raised their joined hands.

"Ah, I see," Kitty said, slightly disappointed, but mostly amused. "You really aren't interested in me and my girls are you?"

Ryder chuckled and kissed Jake's cheek, pleased when he didn't stiffen or pull away. "Not really," Ryder answered her.

"Fine," Kitty said with a shrug as she came around the bar. "Come with me."

"Not so fast!" A voice shouted from behind Ryder and Jake.

They spun around to face the intruder.

"Puck," Ryder said, his fists clenching in anger as he looked at the man who had spent his life abusing Jake.

"Hand over my property, Lynn," Puck demanded, stepping closer.

"Go fuck yourself," Ryder snapped, moving protectively between Puck and Jake. "Or pay up and get one of Kitty's whores to do it."

"I'm not going to ask you again," Puck said in a low, dangerous voice as he pulled a revolver out of his coat pocket.

"Don't point that at him!" Jake shouted, pushing past Ryder.

"Jake no!" Ryder shouted in horror as Jake lunged at the armed man.

A shot rang out and Jake braced for impact. An instant later, however, Ryder and Jake watched in astonishment as _Puck _crumpled to the floor.

"I told that son of a bitch not to come back in here," Kitty said calmly as she laid a smoking pistol down on the counter in front of her.

"You-you knew him?" Ryder asked, his arm now around Jake's waist.

"Yeah. He was my ex-fiance," Kitty said. "I was already looking for an excuse to shoot him. So thank you for that."

That night as Ryder and Jake were lying together in one of Kitty's private room, arms wrapped around each other, Ryder felt himself starting to tremble with fear and frustration.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked, nudging Ryder's head with his own. "We're safe now."

"Yeah, but we're still here," Ryder answered. "I found you. We got to the safe house. Puck's dead...but we're still here. I don't understand why I haven't woken up yet."

"You haven't been to bed," Jake said.

"You don't understand. This is a dream," Ryder told him.

"You never came to bed."

"Jake, I'm _already_ asleep."

**-000-**

"Ryder, you never came to bed," Jake said as he rubbed Ryder's back and shook him gently.

"Jake!" Ryder's head shot up from his desk and he blinked at his boyfriend.

Jake chuckled under his breath and gave Ryder a kiss.

"Oh god, am I late for class?" Ryder asked as he rushed to gather up his things.

"Relax. You're not late," Jake answered. "You still have a couple hours. Go shower. I'll make breakfast."

"Thanks," Ryder asked gratefully as he stood up and stretched. Then he noticed the time. "What are you doing up so early anyway."

"I got a call from Puck."

Ryder swallowed. "Uh, what did he want?"

"You won't believe it," Jake said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "He wanted me to come over before class today and help him clean out his garage."

"What did you say?"

"I told him to go fuck himself and not to call this early again."

Ryder laughed and gave Jake a hug.

Jake sighed. "But I'm gonna go help him later anyway. I mean he is my brother. He can just damn well wait until a reasonable time."

Ryder nodded as he walked with Jake out of the room.

"I'll go with you. And I was thinking...maybe we should see if Kitty wants to come too, just in case."

**-000-**

**End Note: Whew, honestly I'm just glad that's over. I haven't even started on the next chapter yet, which is for the Genderswap theme. I feel like this chapter was overly heavy and mostly joyless, so let me just assure everyone that the Gender theme will be written for laughs and I'm going to go for a primarily humorous tone. I'll try to get it out ASAP and who knows, it's slightly possible it'll be on time, but no telling yet since I haven't even started. **


	5. Chapter 5: Gender

**Jyder Week: Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love**

**A/N: A special thanks to Simon (Cymon) for making the awesome new art cover for this story! If you haven't seen it yet, please take a look. It's outstanding!**

**Sorry this chapter is a bit late. It's just a short, non-serious piece. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Chapter 5 – Gender**

Jake and Ryder were sprawled out on their living room couch watching a movie. Ryder was mostly sitting up, supporting his back and upper body against the armrest and corner of the couch, with just his legs resting in between Jake and the back cushions. Jake himself was fully stretched out, lying against Ryder's chest.

"Drink," Jake requested, barely taking his eyes off the screen as he squeezed Ryder's hand. It was _The Dark Knight Rises_, a classic as far as Jake was concerned.

Ryder dutifully reached over to the side table next to them where their beverages were resting and retrieved Jake's glass. A moment later it was hovering in front of Jake's lips, and after drawing the straw into his mouth and taking a few sips, Jake nodded and patted Ryder's hand again, letting him know he was done. "Thanks RyRy."

"Oh my god, what did you just call him?" Kitty asked, contempt and exaggerated incredulity in her voice.

Jake winced, realizing his mistake as he glanced over at Kitty who was sitting in an armchair next to the couch. Marley was spread out on the floor between the couch and chair.

"It's official, Jake Puckerman has no balls left," Kitty continued, smirking devilishly at him and already plotting the worst way to torture him over the nickname.

"Lay off," Ryder snapped, arms wrapping protectively around Jake. "I call him 'Jakey' sometimes."

"You are _so_ not helping your case," Kitty said, also filing the second pet name away for further blackmail.

"Well I think they're cute," Marley stated, smiling warmly at her friends.

"Yeah, like a young lesbian couple," Kitty said.

Jake huffed and glared at her. "I am every bit the man I've always been. Being with Ryder does change that."

"No, turning into a girl is what changes it," Kitty answered.

"That's hypocritical coming _from_ a girl, Kitty," Ryder said. "Are you saying girls can't be manly?"

"Doh, that was so close to a good argument, Ryder," Marley said, rolling her eyes at him before glaring at Kitty. "But just what _are_ you implying about women?"

"Keep your bra out of the fire, Miss Mead. As the resident badass around here–"

"Uh, actually that would be me," Jake interjected with a cocky smirk.

"As the resident badass around here," Kitty repeated, ignoring Jake's comment, "Of course I know how strong and powerful a woman can be. I'm twice the woman _and_ twice the man either of these two could ever be."

"Well then the four of you ought to pay a bigger share of the rent," Marley remarked.

"Oh snap! Now Marley's being the man and laying down the law." Ryder chuckled at them and then started rewinding the movie, knowing Jake would be pissed about all the interruptions otherwise, especially since it was near the end.

"You ladies better stay out of the crossfire on this one," Kitty warned before returning her attention to her roommate and fake glaring at her. "You want to have a pissing contest, Marles?"

"...And now I'm thinking about Kitty and Marley peeing," Jake said.

"Please stop," Marley requested, blushing.

Ryder laughed again and restarted the movie. _The Dark Knight Rises _had been Jake's selection and so, as part of the group's standing agreement, Marley's movie choice was up next once Jake's was over. The following week it would be Ryder's and Kitty's turns to pick the flicks.

Marley's movie turned out to be some dull chick flick. It was about a hot girl who didn't know she was hot and was trying to get the attention of a douchey guy, who was a little bit less douchey than his really douchey friends. Instead of paying attention to the movie – which Jake was sure he had already seen at least fifteen times before, just with different casts and titles – Jake found himself yawning and snuggling farther back against Ryder. He couldn't stop brooding about Kitty's comments regarding his and Ryder's masculinities. The more he thought about it the angrier and more upset he got.

Ryder picked up on Jake's distress and took his hand, gently rubbing his thumb over Jake's knuckles. He had a pretty good idea of what was bothering Jake and he made a mental note to talk to him about it later once the girls left. Eventually he noticed that Jake kept tensing up and glancing at Kitty. Ryder felt like smacking Jake for being a doofus and letting her get to him, but instead he pulled the blanket down from its resting place, draped over the back of the couch, and wrapped it around himself and Jake, hoping the extra covering might give Jake a sense of privacy and help him to finally relax.

After a few minutes Jake did begin to relax as he settled even more deeply into Ryder's embrace and allowed his eyes to shut. As he started to drift off, Jake kept replaying the way Kitty had said that he and Ryder were girls and implying that she and Marley were somehow more manly. The whole thing was just absurd.

**-000-**

Jake sighed and nuzzled closer against Ryder's bosom, enjoying the way the firm yet supple flesh felt against his face. Wait a minute..._bosom? Firm yet supple?_

Jake's quickly sat up, knocking the blanket off their bodies in the process and drawing startled looks from the other three people in the room.

"What is it?" Ryder asked. Jake did a double take. It was Ryder, only it _wasn't_ Ryder. This person could have been Ryder's twin sister. She looked just like him, except that she was completely feminized with longer hair and softer, more delicate features.

"Jakette, are you okay?" she asked gently, rubbing Jake's back.

"Why did you call me that?" Jake asked. As soon as the sentence was out of his mouth he gasped, his voice sounded all wrong. It was him, only...girly.

"Why did I call you what?"

"Rydena, could you make your girlfriend stop freaking out so we can get back to watching Batman kick some ass?" a male voice asked from behind them.

Jake spun around, taking in the guy who was sitting in the chair next to the couch. He was a pretty boy with blond hair and classically handsome features.

_What did he just call Ryder? Wait, _girlfriend_?!_

"Tom, don't be such a dick," said a dark-haired boy with a soft voice and bright blue eyes. He was sitting on the floor where Marley had been. He looked at Jake and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Jakette, are you okay?"

"Sweetie, I have some Midol in my purse if you need it," the Ryder-esque girl offered.

"Why would I need Midol?" Jake demanded, frowning at her.

"You know, in case Aunt Flo came to pay you a visit," the dark-haired boy answered for her, a blush coloring his cheeks.

"Oh god, can we please stop talking about their periods!" the blond guy snapped, glaring at all three of them. "You know that shit weirds me out. And who do you think you're kidding, Marley? Aunt Flo, really?"

"Hold on," Jake said, scrunching up his face and looking at the brunet guy. "Marley?"

"Yes?" the guy asked.

Jake suddenly realized that the guy did look like he could have passed for Marley's brother. He returned his attention to the girl sitting next to him. "Ry-Ry..." _What was it the blond guy had called him?_

"Yes, Jakey?"

"Are you just randomly saying our names now?!" the blond snapped. "Tom." He pointed to himself. "Marley." He pointed to the brunet boy. "Jakette." He pointed to Jake. "Rydena." He pointed at the Ryder lookalike. "Now if we're done with the pointless introductions, I wanna watch Christian Bale kick some ass."

"Wait, I don't get it. Why 'Tom'?" Jake asked, not seeing the connection with the names.

"Because this movie fuckin' rules!" Tom declared, raising his fist in the air. "Am I right or what Marley?" The two guys bumped fists and then Tom frowned in Jake and Rydena's direction. "We watched your stupid chick flick."

"Oh Tom. Kitty cat. Tomcat. Got it," Jake said putting the pieces together.

"Are you making fun of me?" Tom demanded, frowning at Jake.

"She's just sayin' you're a player, bro. Like you tomcat around and stuff. Just roll with it," Marley said, punching Tom lightly in the shoulder.

"I like that. The 'Tomcat,'" Tom said, smirking and nodding his head. "It can be my new nickname."

"Oh my god! What are these!?" Jake shouted – okay it was really more of a screech – as he looked at his chest.

"Breasts," Tom said slowly like he thought Jake was an idiot.

Jake began squeezing them and rubbing them together. "They're real!"

"Okay, _that's_ really hot!" Tom said, his eyes widening with lust. "Have you seen your vaj yet? I totally wanna be there when you investigate it."

Rydena threw an empty soda can at him.

"Maybe we should go," Marley suggested, climbing to his feet and already pulling Tom out of the chair.

"What about the movie?" Tom complained.

"We'll watch the rest at home," Marley answered, before turning his attention to Jake and Rydena. "Unless you girls want to keep it and watch the rest later?"

"Oh like Jakette and Rydena would ever want to watch an action movie on their own," Tom scoffed, removing it from the Blu-Ray player. The pair left soon after.

"Sweetie, I'm a little worried about you," Rydena said as she began gathering up the trash.

"I'm fine," Jake answered, getting distracted as Rydena bent down in front of him to pick up their empty glasses.

"I really like you as a girl," Jake remarked. He felt a very odd surge of feelings and desires that he recognized right away as arousal, but which were different in many ways from what he was used to.

"I feel a sisterly connection to you too," Rydena answered as she turned around and smiled at Jake before walking into the kitchen.

Jake got up and followed her. "But, our connection isn't really _sisterly_ right? I mean, we're girlfriends aren't we?"

Jake had a horrible thought. What if he had misunderstood? What if they weren't 'girlfriends' like lovers, but more 'girlfriends' like a couple of gal pals?

"You want some play time don't you?" Rydena asked, her voice bordering on a whisper as she crossed the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Jake's neck.

"I sure do!" Jake said excitedly. He couldn't believe he was actually about to get to have lesbian sex! It wouldn't even be cheating since this girl was basically Ryder.

"Follow me," Rydena said as she peeled off her shirt, revealing a lacy red bra adorning a very beautiful, perky chest.

Before Jake could begin staring Rydena had grabbed his hand and started tugging him out of the kitchen and through the apartment, making a beeline for their bedroom.

"Let's get you out of these extra clothes," Rydena said, grabbing the hem of Jake's shirt and pulling his top off over his head.

The feeling of the collar sliding over his scalp made Jake realize for the first time that he had longer hair as a girl. Curious, he glanced into the bedroom mirror. His hair was longer, but it still wasn't especially long. Instead it was styled into a pixie cut and he rather liked the way it complimented his more feminine face.

"Take off your pants," Rydena instructed, already beginning to lower her own.

"I-I can do that," Jake said eagerly, stripping down to just his bra and panties. He was almost equally as distracted by his own body as he was by Rydena's. All he knew was that this experience was totally going to rock!

"Get on the bed," Rydena said, her voice practically a purr.

Jake quickly tossed himself onto the bed, lying on his back and licking his lips in anticipation.

"Not like that silly," Rydena said with a grin. "On your knees."

Jake swallowed hard, unsure of what was going to happen, but dying to find out. He quickly acquiesced, kneeling upright on the bed.

"Now close your eyes."

Jake sucked in a sharp breath and did just that. He knew that at any moment he would feel Rydena's fingers, or perhaps mouth, on his skin. Soon he would be–

Hit with a pillow. Jake's eyes shot open, the sound of Rydena's laughter filling the room. "What are you doing?"

"Sexy pillow fighting of course!" Rydena declared hitting him in the side with the soft object.

Jake had to admit, it really was sexy watching her breasts heave and her hair fall across her shoulders and face as she kept giggling and striking him, but this definitely wasn't what he had been expecting.

"Well aren't you going to fight back?" Rydena asked, nodding toward the other pillow.

"I thought we could do something a little more hardcore," Jake answered.

"Oh you mean like go out to a club and make out on the dance floor so guys buy us drinks?"

"Uh, no, but I was thinking we could make out here on the bed instead, without any guys watching."

"Why would we do that?" Rydena asked, confusion gripping her pretty face. "It's no fun if guys aren't there to give us attention."

"No, I really think this will be fun anyway. I promise. Let's just try it," Jake said, gently grabbing her arms and trying to get her to lie down on the bed.

"Oh my god! Jakette, are you like a _real_ lesbian?" Rydena pulled away, wide eyed. "Because I like, totally won't judge you for it, but I don't think I'm into that."

"Well why don't we just try it, and you can see?" Jake suggested.

"No, I just can't..." Rydena shook her head insistently, before her face lit up. "Ohh, but if you want we can have a threeway with Tom!"

Jake tried to consider the logistics of it, but the whole thing practically blew his mind. Plus...

"Wouldn't that be cheating?"

"We're not really a couple," Rydena answered.

"Yeah but me and Ry..."

"What about us?"

"Do you really not have any feelings for me as a girl?"

"I'm sorry. I just don't," Rydena said sympathetically. "But don't worry, Jakette. You'll meet a terrific girl someday. In the meantime if you ever feel like having sexy pillow fights, making out for guys' attention, or just having slutty threeways, you know where to find me."

"Are you even a real girl?" Jake asked suspiciously. "Or are you like some kinda stereotypical, lipstick-lesbian figment of my imagination?"

"I don't know," Rydena answered, seeming legitimately confused. "But I do feel a very strong urge to roll around in some mud with you...unless you'd prefer jello?"

Jake shrugged. "Mud's fine."

Suddenly the whole room shifted and the bed transformed into a mud pit. Just as Jake tackled Rydena there was a massive earthquake.

**-000-**

"Jake, Jake," Ryder said insistently as he sat up, his arms wrapped tightly around his boyfriend as he held the still-sleeping boy securely in an upright position.

Jake's eyes fluttered opened and he smiled at Ryder. "Hey sexy."

"Hey yourself," Ryder answered, placing a kiss on Jake's lips.

"Where are Marley and Tom- eh, Kitty?"

"They went home a little while ago," Ryder answered as he helped Jake to his feet. "I hope Kitty didn't get to you too bad with all that crap earlier."

"It's fine. I'm over it now," Jake said as they walked down the hallway toward their bedroom. He was exhausted and found himself very grateful for his boyfriend's strong, sturdy body as he leaned heavily against him.

"You know, I really like you as a guy, Ryder," Jake remarked, his hand trailing over Ryder's muscular bicep.

Ryder smiled at him. "I feel a brotherly connection to you too."

**-000-**

**End Note: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far, especially on the last chapter which I felt rather insecure about. Because of their AU nature, these last two installments have been more standalone and episodic in nature. I haven't started the last two chapters, but I'm planning to use them to shift into a final plot are and resolve Ryder and Jake's relationship so that they can have some closure as the story signs off. I probably won't get chapter 6 out tomorrow, perhaps Sunday. I'm going to aim for having the last chapter finished by the middle of next week, but that's a tentative goal. If I can finish sooner then I will of course. Thanks again for everyone's support and encouragement.**


	6. Chapter 6: Music

**Jyder Week: Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love**

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is a couple of days late. I'm hoping to get the last chapter out in a few more days. These last two will have a bit of sexual content, so consider yourselves warned.**

**Jyder Week Theme: Music**

**Chapter 6 – Music**

Ryder watched Jake's face as it strained with intensity and desperation. He listened as Jake panted and gasped, signaling that he was getting closer to the release he needed. Ryder felt Jake too. He felt the fronts of Jake's thighs slapping hard against his ass over and over. He felt Jake's left hand clutching urgently at his right hip. There was an even greater sense of urgency to the lube-slicked fingers of Jake's other hand – pulling, stroking, massaging, surrounding Ryder's shaft and cockhead in slippery, relentless friction. Primarily, however, Ryder felt the sensation of Jake filling him, impaling him with every inch of his steel-like erection.

When at last Jake became utterly consumed by the sharp, radiating pleasure that was flooding over him, he grunted and buried himself as deeply inside of Ryder as he could. The spasming goodness may have originated in his cock, but the feelings it brought quickly flowed up and down his entire body, enveloping him in warmth and comfort. The only part of Jake's body that didn't relax was his right hand, which became a blur on Ryder's shaft as he simultaneously kept the tip of his throbbing organ pressed tightly against that spot within his boyfriend that always made him yelp and buck. He was desperate to bring Ryder over the edge, to make him feel this same amazing cocktail of feelings that were crashing over Jake.

Jake released Ryder's hip so that he could gently stroke his side while not-so-gently thrusting into him a few more times. "Let go, Ry," he whispered, between halting breaths.

Ryder had just enough time to look once more at Jake's pleasure-wracked face, before he was clenching the sheets and sucking in a ragged breath. He was poised on the edge, achingly close to cumming but not quite there. He bucked as frantically as he could against Jake, desperately bouncing himself between Jake's talented digits and stiff cock. With one more well-aimed slam from Jake, Ryder began to erupt, moaning shamelessly as he did.

"There you go," Jake praised, keeping up his rhythm of deep thrusts and steady jerks as Ryder unloaded. Thick ropes of cum splattered all over Ryder's chest and stomach. Eventually the gusher subsided into a slow, spurting fountain, leaking from Ryder's slit and dribbling down his shaft to pool against the base of his cock. Jake's free hand moved to Ryder's balls, delicately massaging as he coaxed out every drop he could.

Once it was all over, Jake leaned down to place a lingering kiss on Ryder's lips before finally pulling out of him. Ryder whimpered in protest as he did. Jake smiled and ran a hand through Ryder's sweat-dampened hair. Then he grabbed a discarded shirt from the side of the bed and began cleaning them up.

Ryder sighed contentedly and folded his hands behind his head as his boyfriend gently dabbed away all the sweat and seed from his body. He couldn't help but notice the way Jake was looking at him as he worked, unguarded affection and happiness all over his face.

As soon as Jake was done, he tied off the condom and threw it away, then collapsed on the bed next to Ryder. They quickly wrapped their arms around each other and nuzzled close. Each set of shining dark eyes seeking out the other. Mouths quirked in a wide grin and a goofy smirk.

Ryder felt amazing right then, so safe and happy. It felt like his whole chest was going to burst as he looked at Jake. "I love–"

Jake's eyes widened and he involuntarily squeezed Ryder closer. This was the moment he had been awaiting so long.

"...When we do that," Ryder finished, catching himself just in time. He had seen the fearful way Jake's eyes had expanded, felt the way Jake had tensed against his body. He mentally berated himself, angry that he had come so close to messing everything up.

Jake's heart sank, his posture going slack with disappointment. He forced himself to nod and smile at Ryder.

"Yeah, that was really great," Jake agreed half-heartedly, before placing another kiss on Ryder's lips.

"Well, I better go shower," Ryder said awkwardly as he pulled away from Jake and hustled out of the room. He was eager to get away before his damn emotions came bubbling out again and fucked everything up.

Jake huffed and threw a pillow over his face, hurt that not only wasn't Ryder about to say that he loved him, but that he didn't even want to stick around and cuddle.

**-000-**

"Okay Ryder, please tell me what's wrong," Marley requested, muting the television and turning to give her friend a concerned look.

It was Saturday morning and the two of them were sitting in Marley's living room, waiting for Kitty to finish getting ready so that they could go eat lunch. Jake was in Lima for the day visiting his mom and Puck.

"Nothing's wrong, why?"

"You're all frowny-faced and grumbly," Marley answered, getting up from her chair to take a seat next to Ryder on the couch.

"I am not," Ryder grumbled, crossing his arms and frowning at her.

Marley turned her attention to her phone for a few seconds and Ryder briefly thought that she was going to drop it. Then she suddenly raised the device and clicked a picture of him before he had a chance to react.

"There you see," she said triumphantly, holding the screen up for him to look at. "Frowny."

Ryder glared at her for a few seconds but couldn't resist cracking a small smile too.

"Okay fine, so I'm in a bad mood."

"So how come?" Marley pressed, turning on the couch to fully face him.

Ryder sighed and uncrossed his arms as he turned to look directly at Marley. He hoped that unburdening himself to his friend might make him feel better. "It's Jake."

"Really?" Marley asked, genuinely surprised. "I thought you guys were happy."

"We are," Ryder agreed, frowning again. "We're actually really happy."

"Oh god, that must be so hard for you," Marley said, exaggerated sympathy permeating her tone as she patted his arm.

"That's not the problem," Ryder answered, rolling his eyes.

"So what is?"

"I...I love him," Ryder said.

"Okay, you do know what a problem is, right?" Marley asked.

Ryder frowned at her again. "I love him, but I can't tell him. And it's really starting to bother me."

"Wait, you mean you guys haven't said it to each other yet?"

Ryder shook his head.

"Whoa. How is that even possible after all this time?"

"It hasn't been _that_ long," Ryder insisted. "I mean for like a year we were sort of together, but not really, not officially. Then we weren't anything for like six or seven months."

"But you've officially been together all semester," Marley pointed out.

"Yeah but...I dunno. Everything's just been so hectic. I mean there were a couple of points there when things got so crazy I felt like we were in a different world."

"But you do love him, right?" Marley asked.

"Yeah of course!" Ryder answered emphatically. "I love him so much it practically hurts not to tell him."

"Then why haven't you?"

"I'm scared he'll break up with me," Ryder admitted.

"Why on Earth would he break up with you for that?"

Ryder averted his eyes and looked away as a familiar, crushing anxiety bore down on him. It was the same way he always felt when he considered how Jake might react to his heartfelt declaration.

"What's going on?" Kitty inquired as she walked into the living room wearing a short blue dress, her hair and makeup fully done.

"Nothing," Marley covered, trying to act casual. Kitty just rolled her eyes in response and gave Ryder an expectant look.

"It's okay," Ryder told Marley, smiling at her before returning his attention to Kitty. He didn't see any point in keeping it a secret from her. "I wanna tell Jake I love him, but I'm worried about how he'll react."

"You haven't told him that yet?!" Kitty asked, thoroughly surprised as she sunk into the chair Marley had vacated earlier. "How is that possible?

"Oh my god!" Ryder huffed, re-crossing his arms.

"Unofficial status, long break up, hectic semester, and alternate universes," Marley explained in a rush, catching Kitty up.

"Alternate universes?" Kitty asked with confusion. "What the–"

Ryder cut her off. "The point is I haven't told him, and I don't know how he would react if I did."

"How can you not know how he would react?" Kitty insisted, shaking her head at him. "He would say it back, you idiot. The two of you are almost nauseating with all the affection and constant cuddling. Not to mention the way you fuck like rabbits all the time."

"How do you know what we're doing in the bedroom? What did you do, hide cameras?"

"No need. We're only a few doors down. We can _hear_ you," Kitty answered.

"Oh you cannot!" Ryder snapped, tired of the way everyone kept acting like he and Jake were the noisiest couple in Ohio.

"We actually have a few times when we were walking by your apartment," Marley told him with a blush.

"Uh...anyway," Ryder continued, eager to steer the conversation away from his loud sex life, "I'm just worried he'll freak out if I say it."

"But why would he do that?" Kitty asked.

"Well the last time we 'broke up,'" Ryder said making quote marks in the air, "It was because I started acting too much like his boyfriend, and yeah I know that now I really _am_ his boyfriend, but what if it feels too serious and makes him run?"

"Jake's really not that bad with commitment, at least not once he gets his head around it," Marley answered. "I have an idea that might help you."

Marley jumped up from the couch and ran over to Kitty, whispering something in her ear. A moment later Kitty laughed and nodded.

"What's going on?" Ryder asked as Marley walked out of the room.

"You'll see," Kitty answered, standing and taking her place along the wall.

A couple of minutes later Marley walked back into the room carrying her iPod and speakers. She set them down on the table and then turned to Ryder.

"This is a song Brittany and the girls had me sing sophomore year about Jake. It applies to your situation with him too."

Ryder groaned and rolled his eyes a moment later when the music started and he recognized the song. However, he nevertheless paid attention to the lyrics and to Marley and Kitty's impromptu performance.

**"Tell Him"**

"I know something about love," Marley began.

"You've gotta want it bad," Kitty sang, stepping up next to her.

"If that guy's got into your blood," Marley started.

"Go out and get him," Kitty finished.

"I really don't think this applies to me and Jake," Ryder protested.

They raised one hand to their hips and held out the other, shaking their heads as they swayed and sang the next part in unison.

"If you want him to be  
The very part of you  
Makes you want to breathe  
Here's the thing to do."

As the song continued they began dancing together and clapping along with the beat.

"Tell him that  
You're never gonna leave him  
Tell him that  
You're always gonna love him  
Tell him, tell him, tell him,  
Tell him right now."

"I know something about love," Kitty sang as she danced over to the couch and pulled Ryder to his feet.

Marley circled behind them and pulled Ryder around to face her. As she sang the next part.

"You gotta show it and,  
Make him see the moon up above."

Once again they sang the next part together, bopping their heads and swinging their arms in time with the music.

"Reach out and get him  
If you want him to be  
Always by your side  
If you want him to  
Only think of you."

Ryder had to admit that did sound like what he wanted. He needed to know that Jake wasn't going to freak out again, that he would always be by Ryder's side when he needed him.

"Tell him that  
You're never gonna leave him  
Tell him that  
You're always gonna love him  
Tell him, tell him, tell him,  
Tell him right now."

Of course Ryder would always love Jake and would never leave him, but that didn't change how scared he felt when he thought about actually telling him that.

Marley and Kitty continued circling around Ryder as they tweaked the next verse slightly to fit with Ryder and Jake's situation.

"Ever since the world began  
It's been that way for man  
And _guys_ were created  
To make love their destiny  
Then why should true love be  
So complicated? Oh, yeah!"

Ryder couldn't answer that. Part of the appeal of being with Jake had always been how easy and uncomplicated the whole thing was. He was starting to feel silly for making this such a big deal when it should have been as natural as everything else about their relationship had been.

"I know something about love  
You gotta take his hand  
Show him what the world is made of  
One kiss will prove it."

"Been there. Done that," Ryder shouted above the music.

"If you want him to be  
Always by your side  
Take his hand tonight  
Swallow your foolish pride."

"It's not pride," Ryder countered defensively. "I just don't know what to say."

"Tell him that  
You're never gonna leave him  
Tell him that  
You're always gonna love him  
Tell him, tell him, tell him,  
Tell him right now."

"Oh, you have to tell him now!" Marley shouted insistently.

"Okay fine, I will. I'll tell him," Ryder answered. He felt terrified, relieved, and excited all at once now that he had reached his decision.

The girls continued swaying and singing as the song went on.

"Tell him that  
You're never gonna leave him  
Tell him that  
You're always gonna love him  
Tell him, tell him, tell him,  
Tell him right now."

"Boy, you gotta tell him right now!" Kitty yelled, giving Ryder an intimidating look.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Ryder responded, but then uncertainty began to nag at him again. "I just don't know how I'm going to do it."

"Just take his hand in yours and tell him!" Marley answered.

"But–"

"Tell him right now!" Kitty chanted, folding her arms and glaring at him as the song finished.

"Tonight," Ryder promised. "I'll tell him tonight when he gets home."

**-000-**

"Okay bro, lift it," Puck said between gritted teeth as he struggled unsuccessfully to raise the bar for his last bench press rep.

"Jake?"

He was just standing there looking down at Puck with a vacant expression. Puck started to panic as his arms gave out more and the weight began to bear down on his chest.

"JAKE!" Puck shouted with the last of his breath.

"Huh? Ohh!" Jake quickly helped Puck raise the bar back onto the stand.

"What the fuck man?!" Puck demanded, glaring at Jake as he sat up on the bench.

"Sorry," Jake muttered, hanging his head.

Puck took a couple of deep breaths to calm down before speaking again. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," Jake answered automatically.

"Well it better be something otherwise I'm gonna kick your ass for being such a flake." There was no heat behind his words though as Puck shuffled over on the bench and patted the space next to him for Jake to sit.

Jake sighed and reluctantly sat down, watching Puck's expression carefully as he said, "It's about me and Ryder."

"Is this story gonna involve his dick?" Puck asked.

Jake laughed and shook his head. Shortly after Ryder and Jake had officially gotten together, Puck had come over one Friday afternoon for a weekend visit. Jake had spent the next day and a half stressing out over how to tell him their big news. By Saturday night Jake still hadn't made his revelation and Puck had decided to go out partying.

While Puck was out, Ryder had convinced Jake that he needed to unwind and relax, and then he had proceeded to help him do precisely that. When they were finished, Ryder had left the bedroom, still naked and semi-hard, to go get some juice from the kitchen. The next thing Jake knew he heard Ryder and his brother both yell in surprise and Ryder was running back into the room. It turned out Puck had come back early and overheard most of their performance. Just when he had thought it was safe to uncover his ears and open his eyes, Ryder was walking out with his dick swinging.

"This'll be a one-hundred percent wang-free conversation," Jake assured his brother with a lopsided grin.

"Then let's hear it."

"Okay, so things are getting pretty serious between us."

"And you're freaked out?" Puck guessed.

Jake shook his head. "No, not at all. I-I'm really happy about that."

"You're gonna ask him to marry you?!" Puck guessed again, clapping Jake on the back and grinning at him. "Dude, that's awesome!"

"Okay, also _NO_," Jake answered, frowning at him. "He still hasn't said...it."

"It?" Puck asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah_ it_. You know, the thing a guy really wants to hear when he's dating someone he cares about."

"Bend me over and make me glad to be alive?" Puck guessed, sniggering.

"Fuck you," Jake said, shaking his head in exasperation. "He hasn't said he loves me yet."

"Ohh," Puck said, understanding lighting up his face. "That actually makes way more sense than that other thing, because from what I heard last time–"

"Dude, can we please focus?" Jake requested, wondering why he had even bothered having this conversation with Puck.

"Sorry," Puck apologized, feeling guilty when he saw how upset Jake seemed about the situation. He patted his back and continued. "So what does he say when you say it to him?"

"I haven't said it yet either," Jake answered.

"Why not?"

"I was waiting for him to say it."

"Did it ever cross your mind that maybe he's just waiting for _you_ to say it? You're probably in the middle of some kinda gay love standoff. You should break the deadlock and just tell him first."

"I-I definitely can't do that." Jake shook his head vehemently.

"Why not? Didn't you tell that Marley chick after like five minutes of dating that you loved her?"

"Yeah and look how well that turned out."

"You're still really good friends right? And now you've got Ryder. So it kinda worked out, and besides that doesn't mean telling her was the wrong thing to do."

"But Ryder was the one who told me to tell her. He's the one who was all, 'be emotionally naked' and he's the one who's better at all the romance stuff."

"So, what's your point?" Puck asked.

Jake looked at the ground and muttered his response so quietly that Puck could barely hear him. "I think if he actually did love me he would have already said it. Since he hasn't, I don't think he does."

"Damn little bro," Puck said as he wrapped his arm around Jake's shoulders. "Your head is so far up your ass right now."

Jake glared at him and tried to pull away, but Puck held him in place.

"Ryder is completely head over heels for you, bro, and I don't just mean in that glad-to-be-alive way we were talking about earlier. Dude totally loves you."

"How do you know?" Jake asked hesitently.

Puck shrugged. "I've seen you together. It's obvious. You need to just man up and say it."

Jake thought things over for a little while and then slowly nodded his head. "Okay. Yeah, I'll say it when I get home."

"Attaboy," Puck said, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Now ya think you can get your head out of the rainbows long enough to finish spotting me?"

Jake laughed and returned to his position behind the weights, already considering ways to lead into his big announcement.

**-000-**

**End Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this one! The final chapter is for the theme "Angst/Fluff" and for chapter entitled, "And Love." If anyone was keeping track of what I mentioned at the end of chapter two about doing a sex scene more from Ryder's POV, then you might be interested to know that I'm planning to do that in the final chapter. Please let me know what you thought of this one if you get the chance.**


	7. Chapter 7: And

**Literally The First Collegiate Adventure Spanning History, Gender, Music, and Love**

**A/N: Hi all, sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I went through a brief phase of just not wanting to write...it happens. I write all day at work, so sometimes I'm just not up to it recreationally. Anyway, my apologies for the delay and I am excited about the chapter at least! **

**The final theme for Jyder week was 'Angst/Fluff.' However, because I neither wanted to rush the ending of the story nor have the final chapter be twice as long as all the rest, I'm actually breaking that theme in half. This first part will be 'angst' then we'll get to all the fluff (with plenty of romance and smut included) in the final chapter. **

**I hope this qualifies for 'angst,' but it's written more to be humorous and borderline farcical than to make anyone cry or be super upset. As I said, the more genuine emotion is coming in the final chapter (I hope).**

**Chapter 7 – And**

"You lookin' at porn?" Puck asked as he glanced over at Jake, who was sitting in the passenger seat staring intently at his phone, occasionally adjusting himself, and carefully keeping the screen tilted away from Puck.

"What? No, of course not," Jake said immediately, pressing the device against his chest.

It was mid-afternoon and Jake was on his way back to Columbus. Puck was driving him and then the following weekend Jake would catch a ride with Ryder when he went back to Lima to visit his dad and Jake could pick up his car then. Ostensibly Puck's offer had been so that he could attend a party that some of his old football buddies who now lived in Columbus were throwing. However, Jake suspected that the true reason Puck was doing this was because he had accurately picked up on how nervous Jake was about confessing his feelings to Ryder, and had wanted to keep him company. Jake appreciated the gesture, especially since his palms pretty much hadn't quit sweating since he'd resolved to declare his love to Ryder, and since his stomach had also been in a perpetual state of pre-vomit agitation. At this point Jake wasn't even sure he_ could _have driven himself back.

"Dude, I don't care. I know you're just trying to take your mind off stuff," Puck said, snickering at him. "Just keep it in your pants."

Jake sighed and decided it was easier to just let Puck assume his porn theory was correct. It wasn't all that far from the truth anyway. Jake had been looking at sexually descriptive content, and there were a few pictures here and there, but it wasn't porn exactly. Jake was looking up tips and advice on how to bottom for the first time. It definitely wasn't helping his anxiety, but Jake felt like he was making the right decision.

After his chat with Puck that morning, Jake had been determined to figure out the best way to let Ryder know about his feelings. Ultimately of course it would come down to saying those three little words, but Jake wanted to make it as special as possible. He wanted Ryder to know how much he truly meant it. Then Jake had realized that trying to come up with a speech was the complete wrong approach. That would always feel cheesy and forced. Instead of just _saying_ the words, Jake had decided he wanted to _do_ something to show Ryder how much he meant.

Shortly after they had officially started dating Jake and Ryder had decided to experiment with anal sex. It was something they were both initially nervous to be on the receiving end of, but Ryder had soon agreed to try it. They had both been surprised about how well that first time had gone, and though it was still sort of understood that at some point they would try switching things up, they had fallen into a very enjoyable routine of Jake topping and Ryder bottoming. Jake decided that finally taking the plunge – or perhaps more accurately, letting Ryder take the plunge – would be a good way to show Ryder how much he loved him and how completely he trusted him. It would be the perfect way to back up his words with actions.

"Uh, you're not gonna be in the apartment tonight right?" Jake asked awkwardly.

"God no!" Puck exclaimed, smirking at him. "I'll probably stay with my buds. If not them, then maybe Kitty will let me crash at her place...Although that may not be far enough from ground zero to spare my ears."

Jake rolled his eyes and went back to discretely conducting his 'research' on his phone.

Soon enough they were pulling into Jake and Ryder's apartment complex. Jake had been texting with Ryder on the way back and knew that he was over at Marley and Kitty's so Jake and Puck headed directly there.

"Hey," Ryder said with a big goofy grin, pulling open the girls' front door just as Jake raised his hand to knock.

"Hey," Jake answered back, taking a moment to look Ryder up and down and appreciate the view. He got only a moment, however, before his boyfriend was pulling him into the apartment and kissing him deeply. Jake responded with equal enthusiasm, wrapping his arms around Ryder's waist and sighing softly into the kiss as their hips ground against each other.

"Ahem," Puck said, clearing his throat loudly and tapping his brother on the shoulder, irritated that he not only had to watch, but that he was still blocked from even entering the apartment.

"Oh hey, Puck." Ryder said as he smiled at him over Jake's shoulder once they had pulled apart.

"Just a fist bump for me is fine, dude," Puck remarked with a smirk as he held his knuckles out in greeting. Ryder laughed and bumped his hand before stepping out of the way so that he could enter.

After the Puckerman boys had chatted with Kitty and Marley for a few minutes, Jake turned to Ryder and patted his thigh. "I wanna take you out to dinner tonight."

"Actually I wanted to take _you_ out to dinner tonight," Ryder answered, turning on the couch and brushing his knee against Jake's.

"Well I asked first," Jake countered, sticking his tongue out at him.

Ryder laughed and leaned forward in an attempt to capture Jake's tongue with his mouth. Jake withdrew it and clamped his lips shut, shaking his head and denying Ryder access. After a few seconds of unsuccessfully licking along Jake's mouth to gain entry, Ryder pulled back and huffed. "Fine. You can take me."

"Now was that so hard?" Jake said grinning at him and then sealing his mouth over Ryder's for a proper kiss.

"Are they always this disgusting?" Puck asked, his tone fond and amused.

"Sometimes I have to take Dramamine before we get together," Kitty answered, before turning to the kissing boys. "Jake, if you can pry yourself away from Ryder's face, I have those psychology notes you need."

Jake let go of the back of Ryder's head just long enough to wave her off before pressing his hand back in place and deepening the kiss.

Eventually Ryder pulled away instead. "We should stop," he said as he took a deep breath and reminded himself that they weren't alone, that he _couldn't_ start rubbing Jake's crotch or peeling his shirt off.

"I disagree." Jake shook his head and leaned forward to recapture Ryder's mouth, frowning when the other guy sniggered and dodged his attempt. Jake turned and glared at Kitty. "See what you did?!"

"I want a sandwich," Puck interjected, contemplating the fact that he must truly love his little brother if that display hadn't put him off food entirely.

Ryder nodded and stood up, eager to get away from Jake before his resolve crumbled and they ended up driving the other three out of the apartment and doing it right there on Marley and Kitty's sofa.

"You can make one at our place." Ryder turned back to Jake. "You should stay and get those notes from Kitty."

Jake pouted, but nodded.

"I'll come with you guys," Marley said, standing and following Ryder and Puck to the door. She wanted to get a chance to talk to Ryder one more time and make sure he didn't back out of the important declaration he had planned for that evening.

A few minutes later as Jake was copying the notes he needed for his and Kitty's intro psych class, she asked, "Where are you going to take him for dinner?"

"I was thinking DeepWood," Jake answered, not looking up.

"Freudian much?" Kitty snickered.

"He likes it." Jake rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh I bet," Kitty said. "Did you make reservations? They're going to be busy on a Saturday night."

"Crap, I forgot." Jake fished his phone out of his pocket and looked up the number. When the bubbly-sounding hostess answered, Jake requested a reservation for that evening at eight. "Crud," Jake whispered to Kitty as he covered the phone and scowled. "They don't have anything until nine fricken thirty."

"Give me the phone," Kitty instructed holding out her hand.

"It won't do any good. They're full."

"Just give me the phone," Kitty repeated, pulling it away from him. She got up and walked into the hallway.

"Hi, who's this?" Kitty asked.

"This is Jamie," came the confused girl's response. She was still waiting to find out if Jake wanted the nine-thirty reservation.

"Listen Jamie, my name is Kitty. I'm Jake's faghag."

"Okay," she said in a neutral tone.

"I know you guys are busy," Kitty said sweetly, "But tonight is _such_ an important night for him. He's proposing to his boyfriend tonight!" Kitty squealed with fake excitement.

"OH MY GOD REALLY!" Jamie squealed back, quickly getting swept up in the revelry. "That is _so_ great."

"Yeah, but he's just a big ball of nerves. See, the plan is for him to recreate their first evening together and to go to all the places they went that special night. Their first date was at your restaurant, so of course he really wants to propose there, but if he waits so late it'll throw everything else off schedule and–"

"Say no more. I completely understand," Jamie answered, cutting her off as she inspected that night's reservation log. "Hmm, you know Mr. and Mrs. Falwell are terrible tippers and the servers all hate them. I think I might have just misplaced their reservation."

"Thanks girl, you're a peach! I'll tell Jake he's all set for eight o'clock."

Kitty hung up and walked back into the living room, a satisfied grin on her face. "You and Ryder are booked for eight."

"How did you do that?" Jake asked, gaping at her.

Kitty giggled and handed back his cell. "I just explained to her how important it was."

"Kitty, did you do something you shouldn't have?" Jake asked, suspicious of the innocent look on her face.

"Of course not, Jake. Although, I am fully counting on you and Ryder to act like a couple of happy homos tonight, so don't disappoint."

"We're bi," Jake pointed out.

Kitty laughed dismissively and shrugged. "Whatever, just don't hit on the hostess when you walk in and you'll be fine."

Meanwhile, at Jake and Ryder's apartment, Puck had already polished off his first sandwich and was back poking around in the kitchen, trying to figure out what he wanted to put on his second one. Down the hall in Ryder's room Marley was just trying to keep her friend from freaking out.

"There's nothing to be nervous about," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching as he rifled through the closet for the perfect shirt.

"I'm not nervous," Ryder insisted. She huffed in disbelief. "Okay fine, I'm a little nervous. What about this one?" He held up a blue striped polo.

"I thought that was Jake's shirt?"

Ryder eyed the garment speculatively for a little while before shrugging. "I think it's mine and he wears it sometimes, but whatever, that means he likes it right?"

Marley shook her head. "Not dressy enough. Besides, you look really good in button downs."

"Do you know where he's taking me?" Ryder asked, now worrying that he might accidentally under or overdress. He pulled the sleeve of a charcoal oxford out enough for her to see. She nodded her approval of the selection so he set it aside and then took a seat next to her on the bed. "I just hope he's ready to hear this. This could change everything."

"He's ready," Marley assured him patting his arm. "And it will change everything, but it'll change it for the better. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll even get married."

Panic gripped Ryder's face. "Oh god! _I'm_ not ready for that."

Marley laughed. "I didn't mean right away. I just meant things might start moving, _slowly,_" she emphasized, "In that direction."

Ryder nodded, but looked unsure. "I guess...If me saying I love him doesn't completely screw everything up."

"Of course it won't," Marley insisted.

"I want to believe that and...and I just love him so much." He sighed. "But part of me feels like by doing this I'm basically telling Jake, 'I want to break up.'"

"That is just ridiculous, Ryder!" Marley protested vehemently.

"I know I need to go through with it. I know it's the right decision. I'm just worried about how he'll react."

Back in the kitchen Puck had finished making his next sandwich and was looking for something to drink. They were out of juice and milk and Puck didn't feel like having a soda, but he found a small, individual bottle of lemonade that looked appealing. Unsure if it was Jake's or Ryder's he decided to be polite and go make sure with Ryder that it was okay to drink it.

As he got to Ryder's partially-open bedroom door he overheard Ryder saying something that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"I'm basically telling Jake, 'I want to break up.'"

Puck's stomach dropped in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. They seemed so happy.

"That is just ridiculous, Ryder!" he heard Marley say.

Puck nodded to himself. Damn right it was ridiculous. Barely five hours earlier Jake had spilled his guts and told Puck how much he _loved_ Ryder.

"I know I need to go through with it. I know it's the right decision. I'm just worried about how he'll react."

_Goddamnit! He'll be fucking devastated._ Puck clenched his fist around the glass bottle of lemonade in anger.

"Well, I'm going to go. Good luck," Marley said. A few moments later she was opening the door and practically walking into Puck. "Oh hi. Excuse me."

Puck numbly stepped out of the way for her to pass. He took a couple more deep breaths, anger rising more and more, and then burst into the room.

"Crap! You startled me, dude," Ryder exclaimed. He had been about to check his email on his phone, but he tossed the device back on the bed and gave Puck his attention. "What's up?"

"I overheard you and Marley," Puck stated, eyes narrowed as he glared at Ryder.

"Oh." Ryder wasn't sure exactly what to say. It felt weird discussing this with Puck and he hadn't really wanted to talk about it with anyone else before just doing it anyway. However, he reminded himself that Puck was important to Jake. It wouldn't be right to just ignore him or try to hide anything. "Yeah, that's how I feel. Don't tell him though; I want him to hear it from me."

"I don't fucking believe you right now," Puck growled. "I thought you were an okay dude."

"You-You have a problem with this?" Ryder asked nervously.

"Damn right I have a problem with it," Puck snapped.

"Look...I know this might be hard for you to understand," Ryder said, though internally he was surprised that Puck was having such a tough time with the fact that he loved Jake. Puck had been friends with other gay couples before, and in the past Puck had always seemed okay with his and Jake's relationship. He hadn't realized there was so much underlying homophobia. "But, it's just like how you might feel about a girl."

"Fine. I get that sometimes this just...happens," Puck conceded. He had certainly had his share of failed relationships. "But there's always some kinda reason. I mean, _Why_?! Why do you even want to do this?"

"Oh well that's easy," Ryder answered, relieved that Puck seemed to be calming down slightly and letting him explain. "It's the way he looks at me. The things he says and does. The way he makes me feel. It's because of who he is as a person."

"You sonofabitch!" Puck lunged at Ryder. His blood was boiling. There was _nothing_ wrong with who his brother was as a person.

Ryder's jaw dropped in surprise and suddenly Puck had grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand. His other hand was raised menacingly in Ryder's face, a bottle of lemonade of all things, clutched in his fist.

"So what, you're just gonna hit me?" Ryder demanded, his own temper barely under control. This entire incident had come out of left field, but he was unwilling to back down. He would fight for Jake if he had to.

"God, I want to," Puck said between clenched teeth. "But you still matter to Jake right now. But you better watch your ass once this is all over."

Puck reluctantly released Ryder, shoving him back slightly on the bed as he did. Puck had already resolved to hunt him down again as soon he and Jake broke up.

Ryder sighed, still frowning at Puck but relieved that he wouldn't be coming to blows with Jake's brother.

"This yours?" Puck demanded, holding up the bottled beverage.

"Uh. Yeah," Ryder answered, realizing for the first time that indeed it was.

Puck glowered at him and then dramatically twisted it open. He proceeded to guzzle the entire thing and then slammed the empty container down onto Ryder's nightstand. Then he growled again and stormed out of the room.

Back at the girls' apartment, Marley had just walked inside only to discover that Kitty and Jake were nowhere in sight. Kitty had gone into her room to study and Jake was in the restroom. Marley was about to go to her own room when she was stopped by the sound of Jake's cell phone ringing on the coffee table.

"Jake?" she called out, undecided about whether or not she should answer it.

She glanced at the screen and saw that it wasn't one of the Jake's contacts, just a phone number she didn't recognize. She reasoned that this probably meant it wasn't something especially personal, so she might as well answer it. She had done that occasionally for him, at his request, back when they were dating anyway.

"Hello," Marley said as she accepted the call.

"Hi, may I speak with Jake Puckerman please?" a bubbly, female voice requested.

"He's unavailable right now, may I take a message?"

"Ohh, I bet he just has so much on his mind today!" the girl declared cheerfully.

"Probably," Marley agreed, he had been studying when she had left after all.

"This is Jamie over at DeepWood. Uhm, the restaurant," Jamie clarified, having learned the hard way the potential for awkward misunderstandings regarding what services her business rendered. "He has a reservation with us tonight."

"Oh no, is something wrong?" Marley asked, growing worried.

"No, not at all!" Jamie responded brightly. "We're very excited to be a part of their special night."

"Special night?" Marley asked. Did Jamie somehow know that Ryder was going to tell Jake he loved him? But how could she know that if Jake had made the reservation?

"Yes, I don't think we've ever had a gay couple get engaged here before!"

"Engaged?!"

"Oh dear, I probably shouldn't have let that slip," Jamie said, covering her face with embarrassment on her end of the phone. She hadn't wanted to breach Jake's privacy, but her enthusiasm had gotten the better of her.

"Jake's going to ask Ryder to marry him?" Marley asked one more time for confirmation. She was already starting to panic. Not ten minutes earlier Ryder had straight up told her he wasn't ready for marriage.

"Well yes," Jamie answered, knowing it was too late now to stuff the cat back into the bag. "Please don't tell Jake I said anything, and of course don't tell his beau!"

"Uhh..." Marley was still trying to wrap her head around everything.

"Anyway, I was just calling to see if he needed any special accommodations. Maybe a special cake he wanted us to serve, or a song he wanted to have played, or of course the old classic of hiding the ring in one of the dishes. You know, that kind of thing."

"Th-that's very kind of you, Jamie. I'll let him know you called."

After she hung up, Marley sank down on the sofa, trying to figure out what she should do. It didn't seem right to let Jake go ahead with his plan when she knew that Ryder wasn't ready. Jake would be crushed if Ryder said no; they would both feel awful, and it might destroy their relationship.

"Oh hey, Marl," Jake said casually as he walked into the room. "I'm gonna get going." He walked toward her to retrieve his phone and stopped when he noticed that she was holding it and obviously seemed upset about something. "You okay?"

Marley took a calming breath and handed Jake his phone back. "I-I think I need to talk to you about something."

"Of course, what's up?" Jake said, sitting down on the edge of the table and giving her his full attention.

"Well...it's kinda none of my business, but I don't want to see you get hurt. And...I found out about what you're going to do tonight. You know, about the...proposal you're planning."

Jake's eyes widened as the pieces came together. She had been holding his phone when he walked in. She was obviously shaken up. Now she was talking to him about getting hurt and his 'proposal.' There was only one thing Jake could conclude: She must have opened his browser and seen the research he had been conducting about first-time anal.

"Just so I know we're on the same page," Jake said for confirmation, definitely not wanting to jump to the wrong conclusion. "You mean how I was going to... uh, _give _myself to Ryder tonight, right?"

"Yes," Marley answered. Then she added with a soft smile, "And that is such a sweet way to phrase it, by the way."

Jake nodded. He had thought it sounded better than, 'offer to let him fuck me in the ass.'

"Jake, I-I was talking to Ryder earlier about this topic," she said carefully.

"Really?" Jake asked, surprised. "He brought it up?"

Jake was beginning to feel guilty. If Ryder had been confiding in Marley about his desire to top, then it must have been something he had wanted to do for a long time. Jake wished Ryder had talked to him about it.

"Well actually I brought it up?" Marley clarified.

"_You_ brought it up?" Jake found that very odd. "Why?"

Marley paused, trying to figure out the best way to answer. She didn't want to give away the fact that Ryder was about to express his love for Jake and that this had been the impetus behind their conversation. Marley shrugged and waved her hand, trying to downplay it. "Oh just random curiosity. Idle chitchat really."

Jake gaped at her. How would that even go? Jake pictured them sitting in front of the television and Marley nonchalantly turning to Ryder. _Good movie huh? So anyway, you been banging Jake lately or what? I was just curious, on a scale of 1-10 how tight is he? K, Ima go make some popcorn now._

"Jake, don't take this the wrong way, but when it came up...Well Ryder said it wasn't something he wanted just yet."

"Really? But...wow." Jake was floored by this information. "I thought he wanted to do it."

"No," Marley said, reaching out and taking Jake's hand. "He's happy with the way things are."

Jake nodded. He could definitely see that. Ryder obviously enjoyed bottoming a great deal. Maybe it was one of those, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' type of situations. Still...

"He wouldn't want to try it once just to see?" Jake asked. "We could always stop if we weren't enjoying it."

Marley blinked at him, surprised at how blasé he was about divorce.

"Jake, that's a really big deal."

"I get that," Jake answered, holding up his hands defensively. Although, he had thought it would be a bigger deal for him than it would be for Ryder.

"I just didn't want you to ask him and then be upset when he says no."

"Okay, thanks," Jake said. He still thought it was really awkward discussing this with Marley, and he would have preferred to just talk about it with Ryder instead.

"Did you already buy him a ring?"

"A ring?" Jake's face scrunched up in confusion. Then he remembered that one of the pictures he had seen online had featured a guy wearing a cockring as he slid inside his partner.

"Oh a _ring_," Jake said, nodding knowingly.

"Yeah," Marley answered, her voice thick with sympathy and concern.

Jake shook his head. It had never occurred to him that they would need a cockring. He had never used one, and Ryder was always rock hard when he was being fucked. He couldn't imagine him having a problem.

"Nope, I just figured I'd let nature take its course."

"Ohh." Marley was surprised, but pleased. "Well good! I'm glad you didn't make all kinds of expensive preparations."

Jake swallowed and felt the heat rising to his cheeks.

"I was going to wait until we were together to...uh make those preparations."

"That's good," Marley said with a nod, relieved. "I had a cousin who wanted to surprise his girlfriend so he put down a deposit on a photographer before he even asked her."

"A photographer!? For _that?_ Holy crap! Did she go for it?"

"Yes, thank goodness she did. He was taking a big chance though. I mean, this is something girls fantasize about their entire lives. It has to be just right, perfect even."

"Girls fantasize about this?" _About being fucked in the ass, really?_

"Oh yeah! I think it's something every girl imagines at least once."

Jake's eyes bulged. "Damn, I had no idea! I thought it was more fun for guys. You know, for certain physiological reasons."

Marley furrowed her brow, but shrugged. "I think I did read somewhere that guys get more health benefits out of it than girls. I think it's even supposed to extend a guy's lifespan on average too."

"No shit! Really? Whew, now I really wanna try it."

Marley smiled sweetly and squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry, Jake. One day when the time is right for you and Ryder, you'll get to. And me and Kitty and Puck, and all your other friends and family will be right there too, watching and cheering you on."

**-000-**

**End Note: That was the last time Marley, Kitty, and Puck will be in the story. Naturally the last chapter, with the romance, declarations of love, and sex, will feature only Ryder and Jake, with perhaps small appearances by the DeepWood staff.**

**Incidentally, DeepWood is the name of a real restaurant in Columbus near Ohio State's campus, at least according to the internet. I picked it because it sounded right in terms of atmosphere, location, etc, but I've never been there. As a little disclaimer, I am in no way implying that it's either pro or anti gay, or that it would bump anyone from its reservation book. I'm also neither encouraging nor discouraging anyone from eating there. Finally, Jamie, and any other staff member I create in the final chapter, is 100% fictitious and based on no one. **

**I'll try to get the final chapter out ASAP. Reviews and feedback are always appreciated :-) **


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